Where Did He Go?
by MitchelMussoForever
Summary: Brady is gone. He left Kinkow and Mikayla feels like it's all her fault. But instead of living with her guilt for the rest of her life, she goes to Chicago to find Brady and bring him back. But when she gets there, she discovers something that changes everything.
1. Gone

**Hey guys! It's me, MitchelMussoForever, back with another POK FanFiction! I'm ****_hoping _****this story will be long, but I don't know. It'll be Brakayla eventually, but not for a while. And the whole thing is in Mikayla's POV, but it's ****_possible _****that that will change. If it does, I'll let you know. ANYWAYS, on with Chapter One! (It's not very original, but oh well. The rest of the story will be.)**

**Oh, and I'm sick of writing disclaimers, so I'm just saying right now that I own nothing. I'm not going to do disclaimers for this, already did it, I'm done. **

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It was a normal day on Kinkow. I woke up early and did my morning patrol, then grabbed some breakfast from the kitchen. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the island breeze blew warm and sweet-smelling. I was thinking about waking up the kings.

That's when the screaming started.

"Close the gates! Shut down the castle! No one gets in or out!" Boomer yelled, running down the stairs, clutching a piece of paper in his hand.

"My king, calm down. I only took one bite of your cinnamon roll!" My dad told him.

Boomer frowned at him.

My dad sighed. "Okay, I ate the whole thing. Stop sleeping still noon!"  
"No! It's not that!" Boomer exclaimed. Then he narrowed his eyes. "We'll talk about my cinnamon roll later. But look at this! Brady's gone!"

My heart skipped a beat. What? Gone?

My dad frowned. "What do you mean, gone?"

"Gone as in gone, Mason! What other kind of gone is there?"

I exchanged looks with my dad. I could see in his eyes that he was feeling just as shocked as I was.

"Can I see that?" My dad asked, holding out his hand for the paper still in Boomer's hand.

Boomer nodded, handed it over, and plopped down onto the throne. "Read it aloud to me again, Mason. I'm too distressed to do any reading right now."

I rolled my eyes, but inside I was totally freaking out. Brady was gone? Was Boomer serious? Where had he gone… and why? It didn't make any sense, he never went anywhere without Boomer…

"Boomer, I'm sure King Brady wouldn't leave without you," I said. "I mean, you two don't even go to the bathroom without each other." I wrinkled my nose, thinking about how gross that was.

"Which is _exactly _why I need him back! I really gotta go!" Boomer cried.

"I'm going to read the letter now," my dad said. His tone said _shut up_.

So we did.  
"Dear Boomer," my dad read aloud. "I've decided I need to leave. If I want to be the man I have to be, I have some growing up to do and I can't do it here."

I felt like I'd been hit over the head like a sledgehammer. Suddenly, something I'd been wondering about since last night made sense.

"That was Brady in the jungle last night," I said slowly, comprehension dawning on me. "He heard me tell Candis he'd never mature as long as he's king of this island…"

"Mikayla please, be quiet. We are trying to figure out why Brady left!" Boomer scolded.

I crossed my arms and gave him a look.

"Then he talks about skinny calves making a comeback…" my dad said, scanning the rest of the letter. "And then he says: "You are the stronger king, Boomer, you always have been. I love you, bro. Brady""

"Wow. So King Brady really is gone…" My dad said slowly.

"Yes!" Lanny cried joyfully, running in from the kitchen. Unfortunately, he was running so fast he apparently couldn't see where he was going and crashed into the door.

"My family's just dropping like flies," Boomer said.

Mahumma came running in, leaned over, and whispered something in my dad's ear.

He frowned. "One of the balloons is gone."

"WHAT?! So he's really… really… _gone_?" Boomer asked, his face ashen.

Mason sighed. "It seriously looks that way."

Boomer got to his feet. "I'm going after him!"  
"My king," my dad began, but Boomer was already outside in the plaza.

"Ready a balloon!" He yelled. "I'm going to go get my brother!"

"King Boomer, you shouldn't-" My dad tried again, but Boomer held up his hand.

"I don't want to hear it, Mason! He's my twin, and I need him! He's just being stupid, I know I can get him to change his mind."

I didn't say anything. My mind was too busy whirling around at the speed of light. Brady had heard me, in the jungle, talking to Candis, I just knew it! Had what I said really hurt him so much that he'd left the island? Left Boomer?

Two guards had already brought out a balloon to take Boomer back to Chicago to get Brady back.

"Mason, I'll be fine! I know how to work these things! I'll be back in a few days with Brady, it'll all work out, you'll see."

My dad opened his mouth to continue protesting when the wind started to pick up.

The sky was getting darker. I looked up and saw black clouds shifting to cover up the sun.

The wind was getting faster, starting to whirl around me, blowing my hair into my face. The air was colder too, much colder.

"Daddy, what's happening?" I asked him.

"What?" He yelled. The wind was already so loud and fast that he couldn't hear me.

"DADDY, WHAT IS HAPPENING?" I yelled at the top of my lungs.

"I don't know, baby girl!" He yelled back.

"I do."

We all whirled around.

It was the Shaman, looking at us all gravely. "Island won't let you leave, King Boomer. You king of legend. You must stay." Even though he didn't yell, we could hear him perfectly fine.

"But the island let Brady leave!" Boomer yelled. "I have to go get him!"  
"No. Brady not king of legend, or island would not have let him leave."

"But that's impossible!" I yelled. "He and Boomer are twins!"  
The Shaman just shook his head. "Brady not coming back. You not going to go get him, King Boomer. Stay inside until storm is over."

Boomer looked like he wanted to fight about it some more, but my dad grabbed his arm and pulled him inside. The Shaman went with them.

I knew I was suppose to follow them. The storm was getting much more powerful. The sky was completely black, and the wind was so strong it could probably blow me away if it wanted to.

But I didn't want to. I looked up at the black sky, the sky that had swallowed Brady up. The sky he'd disappeared into.

I turned and ran, not back into the castle, but out into the jungle. I knew it was dangerous to be outside during such a huge storm, but right then I couldn't care less.

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, not even looking where I was going. All I could think about was Brady. I couldn't believe that he was gone. How could I have possibly hurt him that much?

I finally stopped on a ledge overlooking the beach where Brady and Boomer had beaten Hibachi in a surfing competition almost two years ago. Tears poured down my cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Brady!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "I never meant to hurt you! Please come back!" I knew he couldn't hear me, but I couldn't help yelling those things. I _needed _to say them.

Why was I so upset? Sure, he was my friend and my king, but why did I care _this _much? Yeah, he'd had a crush on me, but I'd never returned his affection. Yes, I'd kissed him once, but that was only to save Kinkow. It wasn't… it wasn't for him.

I felt the guilt pressing down on my heart, making it feel like it weighed a ton. It was all _my _fault. I'd done this.

I looked around me. I felt the wind whipping around me, blowing my hair in all different directions, threatening to push me over into the choppy sea. This storm was my fault. All of this was _my _fault!

"I'm sorry!" I screamed again. In the frigid air, my tears felt like they were going to freeze on my face. "I didn't want this to happen! Brady!"  
But what could I do? The Shaman said we couldn't go after him…

Wait, he said _Boomer _couldn't go after him.

He never said anything about _me_.

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**Ooooo, a cliffhanger on the first chapter! At least, I ****_think _****that was a cliffhanger. Anyways, you MUST review, all of you reading this! Or I will not be happy :) I want your opinions! Tell me what you think! I REALLY want to know! :D **


	2. Find You

** Thanks for the awesome reviews! Okay, here is Chapter Two. I hope you like it!**

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I ran back to the castle, plans running through my head. I had to leave without telling my dad, obviously. He'd never let me go. But this was something I _needed _to do.

By the time I left the cliff, the storm had almost completely died down, which I guess was a good thing. I mean, it would sure make it easier for me to get away without worrying about being bashed to pieces by the storm

I took the route home through the village and instantly regretted it. Seriously, I have _no _idea how news gets around so fast, but everyone was glaring at me like I'd done something wrong. Which I guess I had. Something _very _wrong.

"Mikayla! Oh Mikayla!"

I closed my eyes and took deep breath when I heard my best friend's voice. "Hey Candis."

"Hey girlfriend," she said, taking my arm. "I heard about how King Brady left because of you. Feeling…. guilty? Alone? Left behind? Tell it to me, guard girl!"

I shook my head. "Just leave me alone, Candis. I don't want to talk about it."

"But the whole island's talking about it! Come on, Mikayla, give me the scoop!"

"No!" I pulled away. "You're my best friend, Candis, you should know to respect my privacy!"  
"Of course, but sweetheart, this is like… the juiciest gossip this island has EVER had!"

"No! Get away from me!"  
I could see the hurt in her eyes, but I was too angry to care. All I could think about was Brady.

"You!"  
I whirled around.

It was a woman, about thirty, holding a little boy, two little kids playing around her feet. She was glaring at me fiercely. "You're the one who broke the king's heart and made him leave us, aren't you?"

"Well…" I didn't know what to say. I could feel her boring holes in me with mistrusting dark eyes. "Yes, that's me."

"You should be ashamed of yourself!" She cried shrilly. "That poor, sweet boy! He deserved much better than the likes of you!"  
Her shouting had alerted everyone else to my presence, and I was suddenly surrounded by angry villagers, scolding me and throwing me dirty looks.

I felt tears prickling my eyelids, threatening to pour out onto my cheeks. "I'm sorry!" I repeated over and over. "I didn't mean to!"

But the hurtful words didn't stop. In fact, the village boys started to throw fruit at me.

I wanted to yell for my best friend to get me out of this, but I knew she wouldn't come to my aid, not after the way I'd just treated her.

I started to run, dodging fruit and trying not to cry.

I finally got to the castle, slammed the front door behind me, and leaned against it, praying that they hadn't followed me here.

"Mikayla, where were you?" My dad asked me, coming in from the kitchen holding a red velvet cupcake.

"Uhhhh…. I was checking on the villagers! To make sure they all got through the storm okay!" I secretly wished some of them hadn't made it through _quite _so safely.

"Do they know about King Brady?" He asked, taking a bite of his cupcake.

I thought of them throwing fruit and me and nodded. "Oh yeah, they know."

He frowned. "Then I guess Boomer is the sole king. We need to do something about that." He held out his cupcake to me. "Cupcake?"  
I shook my head. "No thanks, I'm good."

I ran upstairs to my room to pack. On the way I passed the kings' room and peered in.

Boomer was sitting on his bed, holding one of Brady's t-shirts (at least, I'm assuming it was Brady's. It wasn't bright enough to be Boomer's).

"Hey Boomer," I said, walking down the steps. "Why are you holding one of your brother's shirts?"

He looked up. "Hi Mikayla." He looked more down than I'd ever seen him. "This is the only thing Brady left."

I frowned. "The only thing?"  
"Well, he left this," Boomer said, reaching over to the dresser and grabbing a small box. "He was going to give it to you for your birthday next week. He looked for that thing for three months. Said it had to be perfect."

I felt all the breath rush out of my lungs. "Can I… can I have it?"

"Sure." Boomer handed it to me.

"Thanks. And Boomer," I put my hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

He shrugged. "It's not your fault, Mikayla. You don't have to be sorry."

I smiled weakly at him, then turned and rushed to my room, slamming the door behind me.

I sank down onto my bed and opened it slowly.

I gasped. Nestled in a bed of rich, dark blue velvet was a small, woven silver heart hanging on a delicate silver chain.

I lifted it up to fasten it around my neck and a small piece of silver paper fell out. I picked it up and unfolded it. It was in Brady's handwriting.

_Dear Mikayla,_

_Happy 18th Birthday! Here's a heart so you always remember, no matter where you are, that I love you, with all of _**_my_**_ heart._

_- Brady_

I stared at the note for a minute or two after I finished reading it. _Wow_, I thought. _That was soooo sweet! _I had no idea…

Then I heard a loud BOOM, and saw a flash of light out of the corner of my eye. I whirled around, panic seizing my heart.

My fears were correct.

The sky outside my window was pitch black, blacker even than it had been earlier today, and split almost in half with a massive bolt of bright lightning.

The storm had come back.

"Baby girl!"

My dad's voice broke through into my panicked thoughts. What was I going to do now? How could I possibly escape to go look for Brady in this storm?

"What, daddy?" I asked, shoving the box from Brady into my pocket.

"It looks like the storm is starting up again. And I'm pretty sure this one isn't going to end so quickly. This time, I want you to stay inside. DO NOT leave the castle until this is completely over."

"Yes daddy," I said, gritting my teeth. "I'll stay in here."

He nodded and left.

I sank onto the bed, my thoughts racing far ahead of me. Now he'd ordered me to stay inside the castle! I could disobey his orders, but I felt so guilty…

Another BOOM of thunder and CRACK of lightning started me into action. I jumped up and started packing.

My suitcase was pretty small, so I made sure to only shove in what I absolutely needed, like clothes and a picture of me and my parents together, before my mom died. "I'm sorry I'm disobeying you, daddy," I told his picture. "But I have to do this."

I reached for another picture, looking down at it. It was from right after that concert Brady had at the Harvest Festival. I was in the center, one brother on each side, their arms around me. We were all smiling, Brady's smile the biggest of all.

A single tear ran down my cheek and landed on Brady's head, sliding down and falling off onto the note from him lying on the ground.  
"I will find you," I whispered. "I will find you and bring you back home. I promise."

His faded face just kept smiling at me. I sighed and packed it away with the note.

By the time I was done, it was already really late and the storm was still raging. Hoping fervently that it hadn't kept everybody up, I took hold of my suitcase's handle and crept slowly and silently (I hoped) out into the hallway.

The only noise I could hear was the storm's constant booms of thunder and cracks of lighting, and of course, my dad's super loud Sasquatch snores. But there were no signs that anyone else in the castle besides me was awake.

I hurried down to the plaza, trying not to wake anyone up with my footsteps. The balloon Boomer had ordered to take him to Chicago was still there, waiting. I smiled. Waiting for _me_.

The wind blew all around me, fast enough to be a tornado. I could barely see through all the hair now in my eyes.

"Stop it, island!" I yelled. The wind was louder even louder than my screams, so I knew no one would hear me. "I _need _to save Brady!"  
But the island obviously thought that was a bad idea, because it just kept on, seeming almost to get stronger by the minute.

I lifted my suitcase threw it into the balloon, ignoring the cold creeping up my bare arms. Then I flung my right leg over the side, then pulled myself up with all my strength and dropped into the balloon. Then I unsheathed Stabitha and cut the ropes holding this thing to the ground.

The balloon began to rise, the wind whipping it back and forth like a cat toy being batted around by a cat. I slid every time it tipped or was pushed hard in a new direction.

I screamed in fright. The heavy, freezing rain had already soaked me all the way through. I could feel already feel bruises coating my arms and chest. I wanted to scream for my dad to save me, so I could stay safe in my room forever.

Safe, but without Brady.

"I will find you," I whispered. I had to keep going.

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**I hope you guys liked it! Please review!**


	3. Chicago

**Okay, here's Chapter Three! Enjoy! Thanks for all the great reviews, guys! I'm SOOOOOO sorry for the delay, my account TOTALLY crashed!**

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The wind kept thrashing my balloon around for at least two more hours. Rain fell in heavy sheets, soaking me literally to the very bone, making me wetter than I'd ever been before in my entire life. I was thrown around and bashed so much I must have gotten a million bruises. By the time half an hour had passed, I think I was getting bruises on top of my bruises.

_This is for Brady_, I reminded myself. _He's worth it. I have to bring him back!_

Finally the storm ended and I leaned against the side of the balloon, exhausted. I'd never been so wet or sore or cold before, and it did not feel very good.

I closed my eyes and heard Brady's voice in my head, singing along to his acoustic guitar playing.

_Live like kings, that will rule _

_A couple of thrones, yeah that'd be cool_

_ One thing's for sure, we always have fun _

_Living a life under the sun _

_And whatever crazy things this island brings…. _

_We living like kings_

I sniffled, remembering the night when he'd first sang that. I remembered when I'd first found out that he could sing, when I'd seen him playing with the prisoners in that little cell….. I smiled slightly and started to drift off…

~XXX~

I woke up to the sound of seagulls squawking.

I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes. "I wonder how long I've been asleep," I muttered to myself.

I stood up, clutching the side of the balloon for balance. I peered over the side and gasped in pleasure.

I'd never been outside of Kinkow before, and I'd certainly never seen anything like Chicago before. The whole city was spread out below me, all sparkling and beautiful. Not beautiful like Kinkow was, tropical and… well, island-y, but the kind with huge buildings and a sparkling blue bay.

I smiled. The nice-smelling breeze blew softly on my face, warming me up a little.

_Wow, I must have slept for a long time_, I thought.

But I felt kind of scared, looking down at that huge city. It was so much bigger than I'd expected. How was I ever going to find Brady?

~XXX~

I found a nice place to land a little bit outside the city. I looked down at myself, making sure I looked presentable.

My clothes were still damp and very wrinkled. Not presentable at all. I opened my suitcase and changed into my clean black dress. Of all my clothes, I thought this would probably blend in the best.

There was nothing really I could do about my crazy hair, so I just smoothed it down with my hand and hoped it didn't look too bad.

I started walking towards the city. It didn't take long to reach the outskirts, and by then, I felt ready. Ready to take on the immense challenge of finding one boy in one of the biggest cities in America.

I walked slowly through the city's streets, marveling at how tall these buildings were.

_This place is amazing_, I thought. _I have to come here again sometime. After I find Brady, of course._

At the thought of Brady, I sped up a little. I had to hurry and get him back before Boomer did something really stupid.

By the time I got to the center of Chicago, I was completely in awe of how big everything was. The castle was nothing compared to some of these buildings!

I looked around and spotted a little café called Starbucks. I frowned. I'd never heard of that before. Maybe I could see if anyone in there knew the Parkers.

I pushed open the door and walked in.

"Hello! What can I get you?" A perky looking middle-aged woman standing behind the counter asked me, a bit loudly.

"I'm good," I said. "Well, I'm looking for someone. Do you know of any Parker family, by any chance?"

"Sweetie, there are lots of Parkers around here."

My heart sank just a little bit. "Really?"

The woman nodded. "What are some of the names?"

I thought hard, trying to remember the kings' aunt and uncle's names…. "Ummmmm, Bill and Nancy."

She shook her head. "Don't know 'em. Know a Kirk and Jean, an Eric and Julie, a Paul and Stacey….. but no Bill and Nancy."

My heart sank again, lower this time. Right to the pit of my stomach. "Oh."

The woman smiled sympathetically. "Honey, who is it that you need to find so bad?"

I looked down at my hands. "My friend Brady."

She smiled knowingly. "Ohhhhh, a boy! Tell me, dearie, why do you need to find him?"

"Well…." I thought about what exactly I should tell her… "I made a huge mistake, and I need to find him so I can fix it. If I don't… I might never see him again."

"Oh Lovie," she said, taking my hands in hers. "I feel your pain. I wish I could be of more help…." Her gaze wandered over to a bookshelf behind the counter. She let go of my hands and pulled a thick paperback off the self. "Here, sweetheart, look in this. It's the Chicago phone book. If they still live around here, they'll be in this."

I took it from her, relief suddenly filling me. "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!"

She beamed at me. "My pleasure, sugar. You want anything to drink?"

"I can't pay you…"

"Oh fiddlesticks! Don't you worry about it, it's on the house. I can tell you've come an awful long way to find this boy, and I want to help however I can."

"Oh, thank you!" I said. No stranger had ever been so kind to me before.

She smiled at me again. "Think nothing of it, angel." There were tears in her eyes.

I sat down at one of the tables and started to flip through the book. It was massive, even bigger than the Great Book, and the print was tiny.

The waitress, who's name tag read Helen, brought me a cup of hot cocoa, which was delicious. I smiled at her and her eyes filled again, then she patted my shoulder.

The sun started to set as I sat there, flipping through the book, straining my eyes to find the Parkers.

After about three hours, Helen came back over. "Need any help?"

I looked of gratefully. "Oh, would you?"

"Of course, doll face. Okay, so, Parker… Parker…." She started flipping, much faster than I had. "Found them!" She declared about three minutes later. "Well, not your Parkers specifically, but I found Parkers." She showed me a long list of people with the last name Parker.

My eyes widened. There was at least a hundred names.

"I gotta get back to work. Good luck, princess." Helen stood up and left.

I started looking down the list of names. There were so many!

Finally, after about ten minutes, I found them: Parker, Bill and Nancy.

"Yes!" I exclaimed. I jotted down the address and phone number (just in case) on a napkin with the pen Helen had given me.

I stood up, lugged the phonebook over to the counter, and clunked it down. "I found him, Helen."

She popped up from behind to counter and beamed at me. "That's wonderful, cupcake!"

I grinned. "Yeah, it is. I'm gonna go find him now. Thanks for all your help."

She beamed at me, the teary look in her eyes again. "Of course, of course, pumpkin. I hope you find your young man. And if you ever need anything, just give me a call." She pulled a card out of her pocket and handed it to me.

"Oh my gosh! Thank you so much! You're too kind!"

She patted my hands. "Think nothing of it, sweetie pie. Good luck."

I nodded. I was going to need it.

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**There you go! Now, I want lots of reviews this time. I see all the views I get, but not many re-views! Come on, guys! Anyways, REVIEW! :D**


	4. Not Here

**Hello people! Here's Chapter Four! It's a long one! BTW, the address for the Parkers' is COMPLETELY made up. I don't know if there's a real street like that in Chicago…. I've never been there, so if you guys have, and I get anything badly wrong, I'm really sorry! **

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Once I got out of Starbucks, I looked down at the piece of paper in my hand, squinting to read it in the dimming light.

_114 B Street Apt. 60_

"Hey, that's funny," I said out loud. "_Brady_ and _Boomer_ live on _B _Street." Then I let out a huge sigh. "But where _is _B Street?"  
I started walking, looking around for a B Street.

The sky was getting darker and darker. I didn't know how much longer I could keep looking. Slowly, I was losing hope.

I sank down onto a nearby bench and put my head in my hands. What was I going to do now? I knew where Brady was, but I had no idea how to get there.

All around me, the city of Chicago was alive with sounds and smells. I could hear street musicians playing jazz, rap, hip-hop, and every single kind of music there was. I smelled street food in the air, along with an unfamiliar smell that must be car exhaust.

I lifted my head and looked around me, marveling. I'd never been anywhere like this before. I knew it must feel completely normal to some people, but to me, it felt almost… magical. The streetlights, the chill night air…. just everything.

Suddenly, a street sign caught my eye. It read L Street. If that was L Street….. then couldn't I just follow the letters until I got to B Street?

I got up from my bench and started down the street. After a few blocks, L Street led me to K Street.

I grinned. My plan just might work.

It took me about an hour to get from L Street to B Street, but I finally did it! After that, it didn't take too long to find 114, which was a pretty big brownish-red brick was a huge cement block sign out front which had all the apartment numbers and their floors. Number 60 was on the sixth and top floor, so I headed over to the outside staircase and started climbing.

It wasn't very long before I was standing at the front door, ringing the doorbell, my heart pounding faster than I could ever remember it doing before.

The door swung open and the kings' Aunt Nancy opened the door. Her eyes took me in and I could see recognition in her eyes, and… worry. "Oh, hello Mikayla."

I suddenly felt really nervous. "Hi Mrs. Parker. Can I talk to Brady?"  
She frowned. "Brady?" Then she looked scared. Really, really scared. "You better come inside."

Suddenly I was filled with the most horrible sense of foreboding. "O- Okay."

She opened the door a little bit widener and beckoned me inside.

Still confused… and a little bit scared…. I followed her inside.

The apartment's interior was tiny, not much bigger than the kings' room back home, but it was cozy-looking. There was a nice black coffee table, a TV set MUCH smaller than the kings' TV, and two incredibly cushy green couches. It was actually two rooms, so the living was adjoining to the kitchen, where the boys' Uncle Bill sat at the table, reading a paper.

He looked up when I entered and smiled. "Oh, hello there. I remember you. What's your name again?"

"Mi- Mikayla," I said, still feeling _really_ nervous.

"Oh, that's right." He beamed at me. "Well, what are you doing so far for Kinkow?"

"Bill," Nancy said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "She wants to talk to Brady."

"Brady? But he's-"

"Let's all sit down and have a nice talk," Nancy interrupted him. "I'll go make us some tea." She went into the kitchen.

"O-kay," I said, getting even more confused by the second. "Uh, can I use your bathroom? I've come a long way and-"

"Of course, of course! It's right down the hall!" Nancy told me.

This was all getting stranger by the second.

I walked down the hall, looking for the bathroom, when I saw an open door. Curious, I went over to it and walked in, closing the door quietly.

It was definitely a teenage boy's, or teenage boys', I guess, room. There were two twin beds, unmade (I smiled to myself when I saw that. That had Brady and Boomer written ALL over it), and a dresser. The floor was strewn with dirty clothes (mainly underwear), pizza boxes, crumpled up pieces of paper I assumed was homework, and Harry Potter books.

"This must be their room," I said softly to myself. I crouched down, picked up one of the pieces of paper, and uncrumpled it. It was a piece of lined paper, covered in Brady's handwriting.

_Open up your eyes, take a look at me_

_Get the picture fixed in your memory_

_I'm driven by the rhythm like the beat of a heart_

_And I won't stop until I start_

_To stand out (stand out)_

_Some people settle for the typical thing_

_Livin' all their lives waiting in the wings_

_It ain't a question of "if", just a matter of time_

_Before I move to the front of the line_

_Once you're watching every move that I make_

_You gotta believe that I got what it takes_

_To stand out, above the crowd_

_Even if I gotta shout out loud_

_'Til mine is the only face you'll see_

_Gonna stand out ..._

_'Til ya notice me _

It was dated 2010, before my dad had brought the kings to Kinkow. So why…

I looked around me again. Brady's guitar wasn't here. This place looked like it hadn't been lived in in forever. But if Brady was here….

I heard the sound of the door creaking open. I whipped my head around.

It was Bill and Nancy.

"Where's Brady?" I asked, getting to my feet.

The couple exchanged looks. "He's not here," Nancy said. "We haven't heard from him in weeks. We thought he was still on the island. Where is he?"  
My heart sank further than it ever had, right down to my toes. "He's… He's not… not here?"  
They shook their heads.

I sank onto one of the beds and put my head in my hands again.

"Mikayla, what's wrong? What happened to my nephew?" Nancy demanded, her voice shrill with anxiety.

I lifted my head and looked at them with red eyes. "Brady left. We woke up one morning, and he had disappeared. He left a note saying he was going back to Chicago….."

They exchanged looks again.

"Oh my gosh, Bill," Nancy said. She looked a bit faint. "What… what could have happened to him? What happened to our boy…." She started to cry.

Her husband wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Come on, Nancy. Don't cry. Brady can hold his own. He'll be fine." But he didn't look sure. _At all_.

I knew how he felt. I didn't _feel _any surer than he looked.

"I don't know where he is…." I said, trying not to cry. "I'm _so _sorry. I thought he was here… that's why I came to find him… convince him to come back…"  
"He just left?" Nancy asked through her tears "Without even saying goodbye?"

I nodded. The tears were in my throat now, choking me so I couldn't speak, or even swallow.

"And he didn't take Boomer with him? That's not… They would never…" She sobbed.

"Nancy, calm down. Don't worry about him," Bill said again.

I stood up. I couldn't stay here, in Brady and Boomer's room with their aunt, who was sobbing her heart out for her lost nephew. I felt too sad, too heartsore, too _guilty_.

"Bill, Nancy, don't worry about Brady," I said. My heart was beating much faster than normal, but I knew what I had to do. "I'm going to find him."

They looked at me, surprised.

"But, Mikayla, how do you expect to find him? He could be anywhere….." Bill said.

I sighed heavily. "I know. But I can do it. I know I can."

Nancy was watching me, studying me very closely. "Bill," she said quietly, her voice still thick with tears. "She'e right, she can. I can feel it. I can tell."

"Thank you, Nancy," I said, looking at her. Then I looked at Bill. "I have to go. I'll contact you as soon as I know anything."

Bill nodded.

"But…" I felt nervous asking this, but I couldn't help it. "Before I go, can I take something from here? Like, something of Brady's, just for-"

Nancy nodded. I could see in her eyes that she understood. "Of course."

They left me alone, and I tucked Brady's song in my pocket. I looked around for something else to take.

I saw a Harry Potter scarf lying on one of the beds. I walked over to it, picked it up, and pressed it to my nose. It still smelled like Brady… To be honest, it was a pretty bad smell, but still….

I wrapped it around my neck and headed out.

Bill and Nancy didn't even glance at me as I left.

When I got down to the street, I realized I had a problem. A big one. Where the heck was I going to stay? I couldn't leave tonight, I didn't know where to go first.

Then I remembered Helen. I pulled out the card she'd given me and started down the street, looking for a pay phone.

I found one, put in some money I'd brought, and dialed the number.

She picked up on the second ring. "Hello?"

"Helen! Hi, it's me, Mikayla. I met you at Starbucks earlier today…"

"Oh hey, baby girl, what's up?"

"I found his family, but he wasn't there… and I don't know what to do… and I have nowhere to stay…"

"Oh, don't you fret your pretty little head about it! Listen, darling, I can't take you in tonight, I gotta stay with my own little girl at the hospital, but my niece lives on C Street, I'm sure you can stay with her. I'll give her a ring."

"Thank you so much!" I exclaimed. I could hardly believe how incredibly nice Helen was being to me.

"Don't think twice about it, my sweet. Okay, I'll call her and have her go get you. Where are you exactly?"

I gave her the Parkers' address.

"Okay. If she's not there in half an hour, call me again, k? Oh, and her name's Delilah."

"Okay," I said. "And your daughter… I hope she's okay."

"So do I." Helen sounded tired now. "So do I."

I hung up, then sat down and waited. And waited. And waited.

I watched cars drive by, watching people walking down the street, watching, watching, watching….

Finally, I saw girl, about twenty, heading over to me. She had long dark hair, sparkling brown eyes, and she was wearing a green hoodie pulled up over her head.

"Hey, are you Mikayla? My aunt said you needed a place to stay?" Her voice was low and hoarse.

I nodded. "Yeah, that's me."

She beckoned for me to follow her.

I stood up and we started walking.

* * *

**Okay, there you go. Y'all better review! Till tomorrow (I hope)…..**


	5. Dead

**Here is Chapter Five. Sorry it's short. I hope you like it! **

* * *

I followed Delilah down the street. She walked purposefully, confidently, while I trailed behind her, feeling a bit lost and out of place.

That wasn't normal for me. Normally, _I _was the confident one, the one who always walked like she had a purpose. But now… I was the one following. The one who had no idea where she was going.

"Yo Delilah!" A boy, about twenty, yelled to us. He was dressed in all black, grinning at us. There was an odd light in his eyes that I didn't like. "Who's your friend?"

"None of your business, Clyde!" She yelled back.

"Come on, Delilah! Come with me and the gang! We're gonna party, have a few drinks, if you're lucky, us guys might-"

"Not interested," Delilah said, cutting him off. "Now go away and leave us alone."

"Awwwww, come on, babe!"  
"Come on, Mikayla." She grabbed my hand. "Let's get out of here."

We started walking faster, not looking back until we'd reached what I assumed was her apartment building.

She led me up the stairs and through a door into another apartment, not that different form Bill and Nancy's, except it was obvious that it's only occupant was a girl. Or two girls….

"I have a roommate but she's not here tonight," Delilah told me. "You can have her bed."  
I nodded. "Thanks."

"No prob. You want something to eat?"  
My stomach growled. I was famished. "Please!"  
She smiled at me. "Two grilled cheese sandwiches, coming right up! You just get comfy and turn on the TV."

I obeyed, and a few minutes later she walked over to me, holding two paper plates. "Here," she said, handing me mine.

"Thanks," I said.

We ate in silence for a little while, watching TV, until Delilah spoke.

"So… who's this guy you need to find?"  
I looked down, suddenly very interested in my sandwich. "Uhhhh…"  
"Spill," Delilah told me. "You can trust me."

The funny thing was, I could trust her. I mean, she had taken me in, even thought I was a complete stranger to her. I owed her at least an explanation.

"His name is Brady. He use to flirt with me all the time, and I told him I was sick of it. So he left his home and his family, but they need him back, especially his twin. And I… I _might _have feelings for him now…. I don't know! But I know that I need to find him."

Delilah was quiet for a few minutes, her face glowing in the light coming from the TV. "I hope you do find him," she said finally.

I nodded. "Me too." I sighed. "Me too."

~XXX~

We ate the rest of our meal in silence, eyes glued to the TV. Not that the show that was on was very interesting. But neither of us could think of anything else to say.

After we were finished eating, Delilah announced that she was tired. I was pretty tired too, so I gladly followed her into her bedroom.

She pointed to the bed on the far side of the wall. "That's yours for tonight. You can borrow some of my pajamas."

She opened her drawer, pulled out a pair, and tossed it to me.

I caught them and went into the bathroom to change. I came back a few minutes later, feeling a bit uncomfortable in long flannel bottoms and a t-shirt. I normally didn't wear something so warm to bed.

Delilah was already in bed when I got back.

I climbed in bed and rolled over, trying to get comfortable.

The lights clicked off and I heard Delilah say, "Sweet dreams, Mikayla."

"You too," I murmured.

Soon I could hear Delilah's snores coming from her side of the room. I smiled slightly. I'd never shared a room before.

The city was loud at night. I could hear cars honking, street musicians playing, lots and lots of people chatting away. I settled into the bed and closed my eyes, trying to sleep.

But I couldn't. I was WAY too worried about Brady. Where on earth could he be?

I thought of a love song Candis had use to sing. I tried to sing it to myself.

_I'm missing you so much_

_Can't help it, I'm in love_

_A day without you is like a year without rain_

_I need you by my side_

_Don't know how I'll survive_

_A day without you is like a year without rain (oh, whoa)_

_Whoa, oh, whoa_

But I didn't love Brady, did I? Ohhhhh…

I must have been up for hours, thinking, but eventually sleep started to overcome me. Before I knew it, I was drifting off…

~XXX~

I was standing at the entrance to the cave where Brady and Boomer gotten the sister ruby for Jikki Kikki when they first arrived in Kinkow. Pure white mist puffed and swirled around me, hot and smelling like sulfur.

"Hello?" I called, my voice echoing out. "Anyone here?"  
"Hello Mikayla."  
I spun to look at whoever was speaking, but I saw no one.

"Who's there? What do you want with me?" I asked loudly. But my voice shook. I _hated _it for that.

"I bring you news of your precious king."

My heart skipped a beat. "Brady? What do you know? Tell me!"  
"Calm down, Sasquatch. I know where he is."  
"TELL ME!" I yelled, furious. "I'm warning you…."

"What could you possibly do to me? I don't even have a solid form."

"Please….." I pleaded. I was almost in tears. "I just want him back. Where is he?"  
"Fine, I will tell you. But you will not like it."

I sighed heavily. "I can handle it."

"King Brady is dead."

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**Cliffhanger! Anyways, before you all decide you hate me for killing off Brady, he MIGHT not be dead. I'm not giving away anything, but don't be so sure she's dead yet. Anyways, REVIEW!**


	6. Guilt

**Hello, lovely readers :) Okay, I know I dropped a bombshell last chapter, SO sorry about that… But anyways… On to the next chapter!**

* * *

I sat up in bed, panting. My head was suddenly filled with images of Brady covered in blood, Brady bruised and battered and scared, Brady lying on the ground, his body lifeless and broken.

"No!" I screamed.

Delilah sat up. "Mikayla, what's wrong?" She sounded all panicky.

I burst into tears.

"Mikayla!" Delilah got up and hurried over to me, wrapping her arm around my shoulder.

I cried harder, the images swirling around in my mind.

"Ahh, baby. I got you, just cry, just cry," she said, holding me and roving me back and forth.

Thoughts of Brady filled my head. I saw him smiling, heard him laughing. But then the laugh turned into a scream of pain.

"Brady!" I screamed.

"Mikayla! What happened? What's wrong?" Delilah demanded, shaking me a little.

"Had… had a dream," I choked out. "Brady's dddddddd… dead."

Delilah just stared at me for a second, then her eyes filled with tears, "Oh Mikayla…"

I started crying again, and she hugged me.

We stayed like that, crying and holding each other, until we finally fell asleep.

~XXX~

I woke up late the next morning, groggy and tear-soaked. Light poured in through the windows, and I could hear cars honking down on the street below.

Delilah was already gone, I guess she must have already left for work or college.

I got up and walked over to the window, wrapping the blanket around my shoulders. I looked out on the city, watched the cars drive below me, watched the sea gulls soar across the sky, looked at the huge building almost blocking out the skyline.

But it didn't look beautiful to me anymore. None of it. When I looked out at the city of Chicago, I couldn't see why I'd ever thought it was so amazing. It was just a city.

A tear ran down my cheek. This had been Brady's home for most of his life. He'd walked those streets down there more times than I could count. He'd been inside lots of those buildings. He'd lived in one of them for sixteen years.

Another tear ran down my cheek, then another.

I wasn't ready to let Brady go. I wasn't ready for him to be dead. I wasn't ready for him to be gone.

_You love him_.

"No!" I argued with the voice in my head. "I don't! He's my king… and my friend, but I don't like him in that way!"  
_Now you're talking to yourself?_

"Shut up!" I said. "I don't. I can't."

Then I saw a flash of images, all of Brady. I saw fall through that tiny beach chair when we first met, saw him trying to save me that time with Tristan, saw him in the dungeon, singing his song on the guitar, saw him reciting that poem. I could still remember the words.

_A heart that wants someone I know I can't have_

_A heart that would rather tease that girl, then be broken by her_

_You know, I apologize for my heart, but it and I, can never part _

I closed my hand over the heart necklace.

_Always remember, no matter where you are, that I love you with all my heart._

That's what he'd said to me in that note. That he loved me.

The tears started to fall again. This was all my fault. He'd left because of me. This was all _my _fault.

"I didn't want you to die, Brady," I whispered to the heart. "I'm so sorry."  
The tears were falling thick and fast now. I sank down on the bed and put my head in my hands.

Through my fingers, I saw my suitcase lying on the ground. I knelt down beside it and opened it. I pulled out his scarf and pressed it to my face. It smelled _really _bad, but I didn't care.

When I was finally down, I stood up. I couldn't stay here crying forever.

But I couldn't go home. I could never face my dad or Boomer, especially not now, now that Brady was dead.

But if I couldn't go home, where else was there to run? I could live with Helen or Delilah, get a job, start a new life.

That would never work, and I knew it. I couldn't outrun my problems, and I sure as heck couldn't think that would make me forget. I knew already that I would never forget Brady or Kinkow, even if I spent a lifetime trying.

Where else could I possible go, though?

I closed my eyes. _Think. Where else is there to run?_

Out of the country. I had to get out of the country, I had to go somewhere else… like Central America. I had no idea where that came from, but suddenly my mind was made up.

Something was pulling me down, down past the Equator, but I couldn't place it. All I knew was I had to get in the balloon and go.

I ran over to my bedside table, where I found a note form Delilah.

_Hey Mikayla,_

_I'm headed off to work. I'll be home at 5:00. Here's my number: 333-0985. Call me if you need anything. Stay strong, girl!_

_Delilah_

I jotted down her number, then flipped over the note and wrote one of my own.

_Delilah,_

_I have to go. I can't explain it, but I have this feeling… It's complicated. Thank you SO much for you and your aunt's generosity! Someday I'll find some way to repay you. I'll be in touch when this is all over, promise. DOn't worry about me, I'll be fine._

_Mikayla_

I changed into my black dress and added a jean jacket Delilah had lent me the night before. Then I checked my suitcase to make sure I had everything. I did.

Humming _Live Like Kings _and clutching my suitcase, I left the apartment, heading for the place where I'd left the balloon. When I got there, I got in and untied it.

As I floated up high above the city, I took one last look at it. It still didn't look pretty to me.

"I'm sorry, Brady," I whispered, for the millionth time. "I never meant for this to happen."  
I closed my eyes and willed the balloon to go where my instincts where taking me. I hoped it would do the job.

I hoped it would take me somewhere where I could rid myself of my crushing guilt.

* * *

**Okay, sorry that one was bad, and sorry I didn't say anything else about whether or not Brady was alive…. You'll just have to stay tuned for that! Please review!**


	7. The Crash

**Okay guys, I decided that you'll find out if Brady is _really _dead or not in either Chapter Nine or Chapter Ten! So you only have to wait a few days :) Anyways, on with Chapter Seven!**

* * *

Chicago slowly began to disappear below me. I watched it until it was gone, then I turned my head and looked to the horizon. I had no idea where I was going, and I felt fear flicker inside me at that thought.

I still couldn't get use to that new feeling, the feeling like I din't know what to do. Like I was unsure. I was never unsure! I was always strong and confident and purposeful.

This was so not me.

I had no idea _where _this awful feeling was coming from but I knew that I didn't like it.

"Make it go away," I whispered. "Make it stop."

But I didn't know how, and I didn't know who could possibly help me.

~XXX~

When the sun had started to set, I'd curled up in the corner of the balloon and fallen asleep. It had been a nice, deep, dreamless sleep, just the kind I needed. But unfortunately, I didn't get very much of it.

I woke up to a violent storm, as bad or worse than the one Kinkow had had when Boomer (and later, I) tried to leave.

The sky was literally black. Not dark, or even navy, blue, but black. The rain was falling in frigid, icy sheets, and I was already completely waterlogged and _freezing_ cold. The air around me was so cold I could hardly believe the rain wasn't frozen.

I heard a huge CRACK! and looked up to see the sky split in half with a flash of white lightning. I screamed.

_Not this storm again! _I thought. _How can it have followed me? _

I probably should have just stayed in Chicago and stuck to Plan A.

As the wind threw the balloon to the side, knocking me over, I scrunched up my eyes in pain. My many, _many _bruises were still fresh, and that did _not _feel very good.

I heard the huge BOOM! of thunder and stumbled back, knocking into the side. I screamed in pain.

"Why?" I screamed out to the storm. "What is the point-"

I was cut off when I saw what looked like a huge cyclone coming towards me. I grabbed the balloon's side and tried in vain to steer it out of that… that _thing's _way.

But I kept heading toward it. I screamed again.

Desperate, I peered over the edge. But there was nothing below me. Just more black sky. If I jumped, there was more chance of me dying then if I kept going.

I kept trying to steer the balloon away from the cyclone-thing, but we kept getting closer to it. And I kept getting thrown against the side, making me wince and grit my teeth in pain.

I were almost there when I heard a particularly loud BOOM! and saw a bright flash. I was thrown against the side _much _harder than ever before, and I felt my head bang against it too. Before I could even scream again, I had blacked out.

~XXX~

My head had never hurt so much in my entire life. I put my hand up to it and winced. It _really _hurt.

I blinked, then opened my eyes. I was lying on a bed in a small bedroom, surrounded by beautiful woven blankets and rugs and carved wooden trinkets and all kinds of art.

"Where am I?" I asked, to no one in particular, since I was all alone.

Or so I thought.

"Mama! She's awake!" A little girl, about five, popped up and grinned and me toothily. She ran out of the room, a little skip in her step.

I watched her go, confused.

A few minutes later a pretty young woman with dark hair and tanned skin entered, the girl at her heels.

"See, Mama? I told you she was awake!" The girl said triumphantly. It was only then that I realized she was speaking Spanish. Thankfully, I was trilingual, so I could understand her.

"Yes, I see, Teresa," her mother said calmly. She smiled at me. "Hola, Senoríta. I am glad to see you up. You were asleep for several days."

"Really?" I said. "How did you… where…"  
"Our village boys found you in a field next to an air balloon. You were out cold and covered in bruises."

"Thank you for taking care of me," I said.

She inclined her head. "You are most welcome. I am María."

"I'm Mikayla," I introduced myself. "Ummmm, where are we?"  
"Maneras Antiguos, Mexico. It means "old ways". Our village is very small and uncivilized, but we like it that way."

I nodded. Mexico. Was that where the balloon had been trying to take me, or was it somewhere else and I had just been knocked off course?

"You may continue to rest, or come outside with us," María told me. "You may stay with us as long as you wish."

More kindness. I beamed at her, feeling my eyes starting to fill. Even though non of these people knew me, they were taking me in and caring for me. Helen and Delilah had been the same way. How could they be so good and kind?

"Thank you," I said.

She nodded and smiled. Then she turned and left.

But Teresa stayed. She smiled up at me. "You're pretty."

"Oh, thank you," I said, feeling flattered.

"I hope I can be as pretty as you when I get big," she said.

"You're very pretty already," I told her. She was.

"I like you. Come outside and play with me!" She grabbed my hand.

I obligingly followed her out into the bright light. My head still throbbed, but I couldn't say no to that cute little girl.

The village was indeed small, but I liked it. Kinkow was small too.

In fact, it was a lot like Kinkow. The women milled around, chatting and working, while the little children played with each other and with the village dogs.

Teresa dragged me over to the group of children. "This is Mikayla," she informed her friends. "She fell from the sky."

The other children seemed very impressed by this. I opened my mouth to say I hadn't exactly done that, but they'd already started a game of Tag.

"Mikayla, you're It!" Teresa yelled. "You can't catch me!"

"Yes I can!" I called. Ignoring the pain in my head, I started chasing the laughing and screaming children all around.

They were shrieking in delight, and the women started to watch, smiling at this.

I stayed It for a long time. Those little kids were fast! Finally I was only inches away from grabbing one when I heard someone call, "Mikayla!"  
I whirled around and the boy whizzed away, crowing delightedly.

"What?" I asked the village woman who'd called me. She stood with her arms crossed, looking grim.

"The Mujer Astuta wants to see you," she told me. "She says she knows why you're here, and she have something important to tell you."

That meant Wise Woman. Something important to tell me? Was it.. could it be… about Brady? How could she know anything?

"Come now," the woman said, frowning at my hesitation.

"Okay," I said.

"Follow me."

* * *

**Review, people! I see lots of views, but not many re-views! **


	8. Warning

**Okay, I'm disappointed in y'all's bad review ability (Except Wendy Pierce and SGJMCfan98, you guys are good :D). I need more, people! Anyways, here is Chapter Eight.**

* * *

I followed the woman across the square, over towards the edge of the village. There weren't any huts over there, but only a small, woven tent.

The woman opened the flap and looked at me expectantly.

"Go in?" I asked.

She nodded wordlessly.

I ducked up the flap and straightened, bonking my head in the process.

A woman sat criss-crossed in the center of the tent, her eyes closed and her face peaceful. She wore a multi-colored woven robe and her long snow-white hair was tied in a long braid down her back. She was breathing very slowly, in and out, in and out.

"Mujer Astuta," the woman said quietly, as if afraid to startle the older woman. "I brought you the girl."

The Wise Woman's eyes popped open and instantly focused on me. Her eyes… seemed to look right through me.

I shrank away, a bit intimidated.

"I see," she said. Her voice was cracked and hoarse, like it didn't get much use. "Zita, leave us."

The younger woman bowed her head and left.

After she had gone, the Wise Woman examined me, taking me in with her eyes. "So you are the girl who is going to do it," she said finally.

"Do what? What do you mean?" I asked. What was she talking about?

"Many years ago, back before you or anyone you have every known was even born, the story of the world was written in stone, in a cave no one has ever found. But some pieces have made their way out into this world, and one of those pieces was the story of a girl, a strong young woman who would save us all from the greatest danger any of us have ever faced."

"And you think that's me?" That was the craziest thing I had ever heard. Me, defeat the greatest evil the world has ever known? I mean, I'm pretty tough, for a girl, but still… I could never…

"No. I do not think. I know," she said solemnly.

I stared at her, sure she had lost her mine.

"You look at me as if I am crazy," she said. "I am not. I have seen it myself."

"But how… I'm not anything special," I told her. "I'm just… me. I can't do amazing things. I can't stop any evil."

She scrunched up her eyes at me. "Yes, you can. You must only look within yourself, for there you will find a power strong enough to defeat anything."

"What power?" I asked, completely at a loss.

"Think of who you love most. The one you are searching for. _He _will give you the strength."

I frowned, confused. "Brady? But, I'm not looking for him. He's… he's dead."

She shook her head. "Do not be so certain. Mikayla, love is the most powerful force in the world. The most powerful magic, the most powerful curse, the most powerful spell. Love can do anything. Remember that, and remember your love. You will need it for what is ahead."

"But what is ahead? What danger am I facing?" I felt so frustrated! What was this old woman telling me?

"I cannot tell you too much." Her eyes suddenly clouded. "It is unclear…"

"Then why did you want to talk to me?"

"To warn you, Mikayla. To warn you against this. To put you on your guard."

I sighed heavily. "Do you know when this is going to happen?"

"Soon." She was staring straight ahead. "Very soon."

"Where? What do I have to do? Is there _anything else _you can tell me?" I demanded.

"Do you feel the pull?"

"What?"

"The pull. Do you feel anything pulling you? Do you feel a dull ache in the pit of your stomach that you can't explain? Do you feel the urge to go, move, leave this place?"

So that was what I'd felt, back in Chicago. It had been pulling me somewhere, towards something. Except I had crashed before I'd reached my destination.

"Yyy… yes," I said, my voice wavering.

She nodded gravely. "Then follow it. Get in that balloon you came in, and go. The pull will take you where you need to go."

"Do you have any advice for me? Anything you know that could help me?" I asked, trying not to show how incredibly scared I was.

"You already know everything you need to know," she said solemnly.

"Do you know anything about Brady?"

She looked at me hard. "You don't need to know anymore than you do now."

"But do you know anything?" I pressed, desperate.

She closed her eyes and settled back. "I have nothing more to say."

The flap opened and Zita peered in. "It's time for you to go, Mikayla," she said, an air of finality in her voice.

Defeated, I followed her outside, back into the harsh sunlight.

"Mikayla! Come play with us!" Teresa cried, running up to me. A group of children trailed behind her.

"I'm sorry, Teresa, I can't." I looked up at her mother, who stood behind her. "I have to go. There's something I must do."

Teresa's face fell. "But you're going to come back, right?

"I don't know. I hope so."

I walked back to the house I'd woken up in and went in. I looked around the bedroom, searching for my suitcase. I found it shoved under the bed, still packed.

Since my black dress was torn, dirty, and smelled _really _bad, I changed into a purple sundress and put the jean jacket back over it. Then I re-zipped the suitcase, took hold of the handle, and headed back outside.

I could feel everyone's eyes on me as I headed to the edge of town, past the Wise Woman's tent, where I could set my balloon lying there, still completely intact. I threw my suitcase over the side and was about to climb in myself when I turned around again.

They were all still watching me.

"Thank you all for your generosity," I called to them. "Someday I will find a way to repay you."

"There is no need," María said.

The other woman nodded in agreement.

I felt my eyes starting to fill again. "Thank you," I said again. "Goodbye."  
"Mikayla!" Teresa ran over to me and flung her arms around me in a tight hug.

I returned it, tears streaming down my face.

She finally let go, smiled at me adorably, then stepped back.

I got up and climbed into the balloon.

It started to rise.

"Goodbye Mikayla!" Teresa yelled, waving at me.

"Goodbye Mikayla!" The shout was slowly being taken up by everyone in the square, until they were all yelling goodbye to me.

"Goodbye," I whispered.

~XXX~

I didn't pay attention as I sailed this time. I just let the balloon float along, not ben watching where I was going. Instead, I sand songs softly to myself, and thought of my home. Thought of what the Wise Woman had said, mulled it over in my mind.

After about a day of traveling, I felt the balloon halt, then slowly start to sink. I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply. This was it.

When we actually touched the ground, I got out and looked around. I was in the middle of a dark forest, much darker than the forest back home on Kinkow.

I pulled out my machete, and was about to take stock of my surroundings, when I heard a scream. The bushes started to rustle. I pointed my machete at them, my heart in my throat. "Who's there?" I called, willing my voice not to shake. "Show yourself!"

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**Oooooo, cliffhanger! So sorry, I can't post tomorrow, but PLEASE stick around for the next chapter! And review this one!**


	9. Brady

**Surprise! I had a_ little_ extra time and decided to post for you guys! Enjoy!**

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At the sound of my voice, the bushes parted and a very familiar raven-haired boy stumbled out of them.

He furrowed his brow when he saw me. "Mikayla?"

I couldn't believe my eyes. "Brady? Are you real or… are you a ghost?"

He frowned. "What are you talking about? Of course I'm real."

At this, I couldn't control myself any longer. I ran to him and flung my arms around his neck, squeezing him tight, breathing in his scent, making sure he really _was_ real.

"Wow, Kayla. What got in to you?" He asked, surprised.

Then I totally lost it and began sobbing into his shirt.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" He asked, concerned.

"I… I thought you were dead," I choked out. "That dream.. it said you were.. dd-dead."

"Well, I'm not dead. I'm right here." He held me away from him, searching my face. "But why are _you _here?"

"I came after you because you left!" I said, angry at him now. "Your brother was heartbroken that you left!"  
He looked down, ashamed.

"So I went to Chicago to bring you back, but your aunt and uncle said you weren't there. Then that night I had a dream… it told me you were dead." I frowned at him. "What happened after you left? Why did you come here?"

He looked around, an uneasy expression on his face. "We can't stay here. It's not safe. Come with me." He held out his hand.

I looked at him, uncertain. I thought he was Brady, but what if he really wasn't? What if this was a trap?

"Come on, Kayla." He took my hand. His was warm and comforting. He looked into my eyes. "You can trust me."

I nodded slowly, caught under his spell, and followed him.

He led me through the trees and bushes confidently, like he knew exactly where he was going.

"How long have you been here?" I asked him.

"About a week," he answered. His hand tightened over mine.

We kept going for about half an hour, before we finally arrived in a little clearing. Here there was no thick canopy blocking out the sky, and the sun shone brightly down on us.

I looked over at Brady and gasped. His face and arms were covered in scrapes and bruises. "Brady! What happened to you?" I demanded, letting go of his hand and taking a step back.

He shuffled his feet and looked down. "It's nothing. Just a few scratches…"

"A few _scratches_?" I exclaimed. "Brady, what happened to you? Tell me, _now_."

He sighed heavily. "Okay. After I left Kinkow, I was going to Chicago to stay with Aunt Nancy and Uncle Bill, but on the way there, there was this huge storm and I was thrown off-course. I crashed here, and I've been trying to survived and find a way home ever since. My balloon wrecked," he finished, gesturing over to a ruined balloon.

I took a step towards him and gently touched his face.

He didn't move away.

"We need to get you cleaned up," I said softly. "Where do you live?"

He shrugged. "Here, I guess. I sleep under the cover of the balloon and I usually look for food and ways to go home all day."

"Okay… where do you get your water from?"

"Follow me."

I hoped he'd take my hand again, but he didn't.

We started trekking throughout the jungle again, Brady in the lead. We finally got to the water, where I tore up one of my t-shirts and dipped it in the water.

"Sit," I commanded Brady.

He obliged, watching me. "It's nice to see you."

I blushed. "You too."

I pressed the cloth to his cheek, which had a long cut and three pretty serious scratches on it.

He winced, and I pulled the cloth away.

"Are you okay?"  
He nodded. "It just stings a little. But I'm fine."

I re-dipped the cloth and started to clean his wounds.

"So… what's your story?" He asked me, his face contorted in pain.

I continued to clean his wounds, even though his expression pained me so much it was hard to not stop. "After you left, Boomer tried to go after you, but there was a really bad storm and the Shaman told him he couldn't go. But he never said I couldn't."

Brady frowned, but didn't say anything.

"So I left that night. I didn't tell anyone where I was going. The storm really put up a fight, but I got through."

Only then did Brady notice my many bruises. "Mikayla!" He exclaimed. "You're hurt!"

I shrugged. "It's not that bad. Don't worry about it."

He reached out and touched my arm where I had a particularly large, purple bruise. "No, you need help. Forget about me." He shoved the washcloth away.

"No, Brady, your injuries need attending to much more than mine," I argued.

He shook his head. "No! You're more important than I am."

"What? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," I said, taken aback.

He looked down. "No it's not," he whispered.

"Brady, please…"  
"Fine," he scowled, allowing me to continue caring for him. "Go on with your story."

"I finally got to Chicago and found your family. But they said they hadn't heard from you. Someone I met let me stay with them, and that night I had a dream." I described it.

He frowned again. "Go on."

I told him about how I'd felt pulled to leave, then about the second storm and how I'd crashed in Mexico and they'd helped me. "I never knew people could be so nice to strangers," I finished.

Brady nodded, not looking at me.

Then I told him about what the Wise Woman had said, and he looked up, interested. "She said you were going to defeat the great evil the world has ever had to face?"

I nodded. I'd left out the part about Brady and my love for him giving me strength, but other than that I'd told him everything.

"No," he said. "Just no. I'm not going to let that happen."

"But what can you possibly do to stop it?" I asked.

"I don't know," he said quietly. "But I can't let you do it. If anything happened to you…."

I looked at him, a sad expression on my face. "Brady, there's no way you can stop it."

He sighed. "I know. But I will be right here with you, and I will do everything in my power to make sure you get out of it alive."

I took his hands and looked into his eyes. "Thank you."

He nodded, then looked down. "We should go."

I helped him to his feet and we started back to the clearing.

"Wait, Brady, are you limping?" I asked. I hadn't noticed it until now…

He turned around. "What? Oh, no, I'm not. It's nothing…"

I frowned. "Brady, I think you should take my balloon and go home. I think the danger I have to face is here, so I can't leave, but you seriously need a doctor. Go home and tell Boomer you're sorry."

"NO!" He yelled, so forcefully I jumped back.

"Yes, Brady, you have to!"

He shook his head. "I'm not going to leave unless you come with me. I won't leave you and you can't make me!"  
"But…"  
"No, Mikayla. I thought you wanted me to grow up? Well, now I'm trying to be the better king you want me to be, so let me!"

I felt tears well up in my eyes. "Brady, I'm sorry, I never should have said that. I didn't want you to leave. I'm so sorry." I started to cry again.

His expression softened and he walked over to me and took me in his arms. It was a friendly hug, but it made me feel better anyways.

"It's okay, Mikayla. I'm right here, and I'm going to stay with you until this is all over, okay?"

I nodded. "Okay." I pulled away. "You said the forest was dangerous. What did you mean?"

He looked around at the trees. "Something's not right here. Ever since I got here, I've felt… unrest. Something's going to happen. Something big, and something bad."

"Do you think-"

"I don't know."

I looked around at the trees too. "I say we rest right now. I'm really tired, and we both need to heal. Tomorrow we can start thinking about the game plan."

Brady nodded. He seemed much more serious than I remembered. Maybe he'd matured already.

"So…. come on. Let's go," I said.

He took my hand, and we headed back to the clearing for a night's sleep.

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**Okay, now I expect lots of reviews, readers! If I don't get _at least_ three, it'll be a few days before I post again! Ciao 4 Niao!**


	10. Good Night

**Brady's back and not dead, yay! Oh, and to answer SJGMCfan98's question, Brady and Mikayla are in Peru right now. Anyways, hope y'all like Chapter 10!**

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We walked back to the clearing, neither one of us saying anything. It was already getting dark by the time we got back, the huge tress casting dark shadows on the open ground.

"I'm going to go try to get us some dinner," Brady said when we got back to the crashed balloon. "You start a fire." He started walking away.

I didn't want him to leave me by myself. "Can't I come with you?"

He stopped and turned. I couldn't really see his face very well in the dark but he looked… confused. "Since when are you scared to be by yourself?"  
_Excellent question_, I thought. "I just…. don't want to be alone."

"I'll be back soon, Kayla." He gave me a reassuring smile I could barely see. "And don't worry. I wouldn't leave you alone if I wasn't sure you were perfectly safe." Then he grinned his signature Brady grin. "And besides, don't you have 'your machete by your side', little island girl?" He asked jokily, reminding me of a poem I'd recited once.

I couldn't help smiling. "Yeah, you're right. But hurry back and… stay safe."

He nodded, gave me a little salute, then disappeared into the night.

I turned and looked around for something to help me start a fire.

I was able to find some sticks at the edge of the woods and I made a pile of them, then I picked up two rocks and started hitting them together, hoping I'd get a spark.

While I hit them together, waiting for that spark, I started to sing softly under my breath. I didn't know many songs, but there were a few Brady use to sing to himself all the time that'd gotten stuck in my head. I sang,

_I gotta feeling_

_That tonight's gonna be a good night_

_That tonight's gonna be a good night_

_That tonight's gonna be a good good night_

I smiled slightly to myself. True, we were facing a great danger. True, we were far away from home. True, he had run away because he thought I'd never love him (even thought I did! I think…). But I had found him, and we were together again. This was going to be a good night. I just knew it.

~XXX~

I was finally able to get a spark and set the sticks on fire. Soon the bright yellow flames were dancing merrily, shooting up to meet the dark sky. I sat in front of it, warming my hands, waiting for Brady.

About ten minutes after I'd got the fire started up, I heard a crashing in the bushes.

Heart beating a bit faster, I picked up my machete. "Brady?" I called. I thought it was him, but I had to make sure.

"Yeah!" He called back. A few seconds later he appeared, holding up a huge fish and grinning at me. "Look what I caught!"  
I nodded, smiling up at him. "Cool."

He crouched down in front of the fire and started to cook the fish, his eyes on the bright flames, their yellow light reflected in them, dancing.

"Are you okay?" He asked me, not looking away from the fire.

"Yeah," I said.

We sat there in silence for a long time, so long that we passed awkward almost immediately. Neither of us spoke until finally Brady said, "They're done."

He sat down next to me and we started to eat, our shoulders almost touching. I'd never been so close to him before, other than the awkward hugs we'd use to have. It was nice…

The fish was okay. We didn't have salt or seasoning or anything, but it was pretty flavorful. I didn't know what kind of fish it was, but Brady had done a good job cooking it.

When we finished eating, the two of us continued to sit there in complete silence and completely still, until Brady broke it by wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

I beamed at him, suddenly unbelievably happy.

He smiled back. "Are you okay?" He asked again, this time in a whisper.

The truth was, I didn't know really. The stuff I had to go up against… I didn't know if I could do it. I wasn't sure if I could really save the world. What if I failed? But right then, siting next to Brady, his arm around me, everything felt perfect.

"Yeah," I breathed. "Right now, I'm perfect."

He smiled again, that adorable Brady smile I loved so much (yes, loved). "Yes you are. Perfect."

I leaned my head on his shoulder, and we sat like that for a while. After a while, feeling all warm and full and happy, I began to drift off.

Right before I fell asleep, I heard Brady whisper, "I'm so glad you're here Mikayla. I don't know what I would do without you."

I smiled softly. I don't think he knew I was still awake, and I wasn't going to tell him I was. Repeating his words in my head over and over, I fell asleep.

~XXX~

I woke up the next morning to the smell of cooking fish. I was lying on the ground a few feet away from the fire pit, covered in a boy's jacket. I sat up, looking around.

Brady stood by the fire, cooking the fish.

I got up and walking over to him, holding the jacket. I waited until he noticed me.

He turned and smiled at me. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. Sleep well?"  
I blushed at his compliment. "Yes. Did you carry me over there?" I pointed to the spot where I'd woken up.

He nodded. "You fell asleep on my shoulder, so I carried you over there."

"How noble of you," I said, smiling. "Here's your jacket." I held it out to him.

He took it, then gave me a little bow. "That's just what I do."

I sat down next to the fire. "Thanks for making breakfast. Did you just catch that fish?"  
He nodded, then looked at me quickly, a worried expression on his face. "I'm sorry for leaving you alone. I didn't think anything would attack you or I wouldn't have-"

"It's okay," I interrupted him. "Thanks for getting up so early to get it. That was sweet."

He shrugged. "Again, it's just what I do."

I studied him, confused. He'd changed so much in such a short period of time.

He caught me looking and flashed me a goofy grin.

I laughed. Maybe he hadn't changed _that _much.

He brought the fish over to me. "Eat."

"What about you?"

"I already ate."

I frowned at him, but obeyed and ate.

"So… what's the plan for today?" He asked me.

"I don't know… look around, I guess. See what we can find. See if we can find what's so special about this place."

He nodded and walked over to me. That's when I noticed it.

"Hey, what happened to your limp?"

He shrugged. "It comes and goes." His face and arms were still coated in bruises and scrapes and scratches.

"Are you okay, Brady? You can stay here," I told him.

He shook his head. "No, I'm going. You can't go by yourself."

"But you're still hurt!"

"So are you!"  
"Stop being so stubborn!"

"No!"

I sighed. I knew by now that it was no use arguing with him. "Then let's go."

~XXX~

We made our way through the thick jungle, Brady in the lead, using my machete to cut through the foliage. I'd wanted to go first, but he wouldn't allow it.

We looked for hours, but it looked like just a normal jungle.

Then, after about five hours of looking, Brady looked up, eyes wide, as if he were a hound sniffing out a fox and he'd just got the scent.

"What is it?" I asked, but he was already gone. He'd run ahead.

"Brady!" I yelled, running after him. The uncut back leaves smacked me in the face as I ran, but I ignored them, along with my _extremely _sore limbs.

I finally caught up to him at the mouth of huge black cave.

"Brady, what is it?" I asked him.

He turned his head, his eyes wide with fear. "Mikayla…"

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**Cliffhanger! Okay people, I want reviews! So review and tell me what you think! Now!**


	11. Taken

**Thank you for the reviews, guys! Keep 'em coming :) Anyways, I know I left you on a cliffhanger, so on with the story!**

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"What is it?" I said again, fear suddenly clutching at my heart. "What do you see?"

He opened his mouth to respond, but then, without any warning, he just disappeared. Just like that. One second he was there, and the next, he was gone. Without even a glimmer in the air or anything. He was just… gone.

"BRADY!" I screamed, running to the spot where he'd stood just seconds before. "Brady! Where… what…"  
I looked up at the mouth of the cave, searching for what he'd been staring at. But I couldn't see anything unusual about it.

There was nothing left of Brady. Not a scrap of cloth, or a piece of paper, or anything. Even my machete was gone.

I started to back away, my eyes welling up with tears. Where was he? Had I really come this far just to lose him again?

I turned and started running back through the jungle, back to the clearing and our camp. My eyes were brimming with tears, making it hard to see through the trees.

As I ran, rain started to pour down form the sky, heavy, hot, Amazon rain. It pounded down on my hair and shoulders, soaking me to the bone. It burned my skin like boiling water, making red marks appear on my arms.

_Brady, Brady, Brady, Brady, Brady. _It was a constant chanting that ran through my mind as I ran, making me even more determined to go faster.

I couldn't even see where I was going, and I almost fell right into the river Brady had showed me to the day before. I looked down at it.

"What happened to him?" I whispered, my voice thick. "Where did he go?"

I looked down at my reflection staring up at me from the smooth surface of the water.

An unfamiliar face looked back up at me. Her face was red and stained with tears. Her hair was tangled and her clothes were torn. But the worst part was her eyes. Dark, empty eyes staring straight up at me. They scared me. _She _scared me.

It was all my fault that Brady was gone. If it weren't for me, he'd still be home, on Kinkow. He'd still be safe.

_What kind of monster are you?_ I thought. I remembered that village woman's angry words.

_"That poor, sweet boy! He deserved much better than the likes of you!" _

"She was so right," I whispered. "He deserves _so _much better."

The rain was still falling, getting my hair and my dress wet, soaking me.

I tipped my head back, stared up at the sky, and started yelling, just like I had the day Brady had left. "I'm sorry Brady! I am so sorry! I never meant to hurt you!"

Tears poured down my cheeks, like my own rainstorm. "I'm sorry!" I screamed again. Then I dropped my voice to a whisper. "I love you."

I half expected him to appear then, grinning and teasing and flirting, making fun of what I'd just said.

But he didn't appear. Because he was gone.

I turned away from my reflection and continued running back to camp.

I finally got back to the clearing, completely soaked with rainwater and my tears.

I looked around frantically. I needed plan. I had to go get Brady back! The thought of never seeing him again… it was too horrible to think about. I'd just got him back, I _couldn't_ lose him again. I couldn't!

I hurried over to the balloon and started sifting through the pile of stuff there, trying to find something, _anything_, that could help.

The rain was getting hotter, if that was even possible. The air was full of steam, making my face turn red from the heat. I didn't know how much longer I could take it.

There was nothing in my stuff. The only weapon I'd brought had been my machete, which had disappeared with Brady.

Most of Brady's stuff was just clothes and his guitar. I rifled through them, desperate to find some type of weapon or anything that could help me fight whatever had taken him.

Because I knew that was what had happened. Where else could he have gone? Something had taken him, and it was up to me to get him back.

Finally I found it, hidden in the deep folds of the balloon's torn canvas. A hunting knife. He'd probably gotten it from the armory.

I smiled. He knew where the armory was,_ and_ he'd had the foresight to pack a knife.

_Impressive_, I thought.

I opened my suitcase and pulled out a black t-shirt and a pair of yellow shorts with a belt. I changed quickly and tucked the weapon into my belt.

I started running through the jungle, trying to remember the way back to that cave.

But I had't been paying attention the first time, especially after Brady had gone all hunting-dog-crazy, and pretty soon I was lost. Completely and utterly lost.

"Ugh, which way?" I screamed, frustrated.

I started pacing, looking around for something familiar. But everything looked the same. And the thick steam that covered everything in a white haze wasn't really helping.

"Brady!" I yelled. "Please, wherever you are, send me a sign! Just send me some way to find you!"

As soon as I said that, I felt the heart hanging around my neck start to get warm. I looked down at it and saw that it was glowing red-hot.

I frowned. "What the heck is that suppose to mean?" I said. Was this Brady's way of showing me where he was?

Hmmmm… that gave me an idea…..

I started to walk north a little bit, and the necklace instantly started to cool off.

_Interesting….._

Next I tried walking east. It got colder.

Then I began to head south. It got even colder.

_So it _**_must_**_ be west_, I thought.

I turned and started walking west. Automatically the heart began to heat up again, the woven silver turning red from the warmth.

It was kind of hard to follow the necklace's directions, mainly cause it wasn't exactly giving me directions…..

I was starting to get angry with the necklace. "I need to get to Brady, soon! Come on, hurry up!"

The necklace did not oblige. It was probably feeling contrary. I couldn't exactly blame it, I was feeling pretty contrary myself.

I closed my hand around the necklace. "Come on, Brady," I whispered. "Help me find you. Help me get to you."

I felt the necklace start to tug, moving around like it was fighting me. Confused, I let go of it and it shot out in front of me, propelling forward and tugging at my neck.

I stumbled forward a few feet. "What the heck…"

Then I realized it was trying to take me to Brady. I started running, the necklace pulling me forward in the right direction.

I finally reached the cave.

I stared into it's ominous black opening, feeling goosebumps rise up on my arms. Brady was in there, I could feel it (plus, the heart was so hot I could almost feel it burning into my flesh).

I took a deep breath. It was go time.

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**Okay, yes, I know it was pretty bad, but this is all I could come up with. Again, so sorry! I hope tomorrow's chapter will be better! Oh, and I have a poll on my profile, for you guys that have read all of my stories...**


	12. Malfurnio

**Enjoy Chapter Twelve, y'all!**

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Holding Brady's knife up in front of me, I entered the cave.

It was extremely dark inside, so dark that I could only make out the general outline of things. As much as I could make out, I was in a long tunnel, winding far out of sight. There was no one else around.

I started to walk down it, still holding up the knife, my footsteps making quiet crunching noises on the pebbly ground.

The air was frigid, and incredibly damp. Beads of water glimmered on the wet stone walls. It was an odd feeling, walking out of the hot, steamy jungle and into a cold, wet rock tunnel. Sort of like jumping out of a hot tub into a ice-cold pool. Not very nice.

Screams echoed off the walls, filling the tunnel with sound. At first I got really scared, afraid it was Brady, but then I realized it was lots of people screaming, most of them female. It couldn't be him. Well, not just him.

I kept walking, but a little bit faster. The echoey screams haunted me as I walked. Who were those people screaming? And why? How had they got here… and what was whoever had taken Brady doing to them?

I looked around for tunnels branching off as I went, but there were none. Then, where were these people? Inside the walls?

I went up to the wall and placed my hands flat on it. It felt cold… and wet… but nothing else. I pushed it, but no secret door leading to some secret dungeon appeared.

I backed away and kept on walking, the screams still going on, like a dying chorus.

After what felt like hours, I still hadn't found Brady. It was like I'd made no progress at all. I was still just walking through a dark, cold tunnel with people screaming in my ears.

And then… I saw something up ahead. I started running towards it, hopeful.

It was a strange red glow, coming from the end of the tunnel. I ran faster, hoping, praying, that it was Brady.

I finally reached the end and burst out of the tunnel and into a huge room, where I stopped short, staring around me.

The ceiling was at least a hundred feet tall, so high up I could barely see it. The air was full of thick red smoke, making me cough. The room was circular, and despite it's massive size, there was barely any space to move around, it was so crowded with papers and gadgets and all kinds of junk.

"Brady?" I called, my voice echoing throughout the huge room, coming back to me much louder than it'd originally been.

"Mikayla?" I heard him call back, quickly followed by a yelp of pain.

He was here! But something was wrong (besides the fact that he'd been taken). There was no room to run, so I started to weave my way through the huge maze all the junk in the room made.

I finally spotted him, over in a small clear space on the far side of the room. I gave a little yelp myself and hurried over to him as fast as I could.

It wasn't until I reached him that I saw that kind of situation he was in. Both of his wrists were tied to the metal bar above his head, and he hung from them, his feet about five feet off the ground. Wires were attached to him all over his body, the other ends attached to a huge machine sitting next to him. He was hanging his head, but I could still see that his face was covered in scrapes, scratches, and bruises.

"Brady!" I cried, horrified. I ran over and reached out to him. "What happened to you?"  
He lifted his head slightly and looked into my eyes, his own full of worry. "Mikayla," he whispered, his tone telling me this was urgent. "You have to go, _now_. Get out of here." He winced, like every word was causing him pain.

"No!" I said. "I'm not leaving you, especially not like this!"

"Mikayla, don't argue, just go."

I opened my mouth to protest when I heard a voice coming from behind me.

"Mikayla Makoola. I knew it was only a matter of time before you showed up."

I turned around to face the voice.

It was a man, about thirty or so. He didn't look very impressive, not much taller than me and absolutely NO muscle. He was wearing a long black robe, which matched his close-cut black hair and sinister black eyes. And he was smiling at me in a way that made me feel like a fox that had wandered into a trap.

"Who are you?" I asked him, trying to keep my voice from quivering.

"I am Malfurnio !" He cried, holding out hims arms dramatically. "Destroyer of Earth and all it's inhabitants!"  
"What?" I said, disbelieving. What was this? "_You're_ the danger I have to fight? I could take you easily."

He threw back his head and laughed. "You'd like to think that, wouldn't you, my dear?"

"Then what's your plan?" I asked, confused. I was so lost.

He met my eyes, an evil glint in his. "I have spent the past hundreds of years designing and creating the most powerful detonators known to man and have planted them strategically all over the world. The formula and process used to create these detonators is so unique only I have ever discovered anything like it. When I blast them off, it will wipe out mankind completely and leave the earth completely void of all human beings."

"Why the heck would you want to do that?" I demanded, shocked and angry. "What did we ever do to you?"

His eyes were still fixed on mine, but now they were empty. "When I walked the earth, hundreds of years ago, I was a brilliant young man. I had theory after theory about all kinds of things. I was brimming with genius ideas about how to make this world better, but when I tried to tell everyone I knew about these ideas, they mocked me."

I thought I could detect a trace of tears in his eyes.

"They told me I was a fool, and that I'd never be able to accomplish anything in life if I always kept my head in the clouds." His eyes gleamed. "But they were wrong! I knew they were, that's why I came here. This," he waved his hand around the room. "Is my lab. Here I will bring down man's destruction. Here I will make you all pay!"  
Questions crowded my mind. "Who are all those people in the tunnel screaming?" I asked. I glanced over at Brady. His eyes were closed.

"The people who told me I would fail. I brought them here so that I can torture them for what they did to me."

I was too curious to be scared. I kept asking questions. "Why did you want me to come here? What do you need me and Brady for?"

"I do not need the boy. He is pathetic."

I gritted my teeth.

"But I knew capturing him would lure you here. And I need you to carry out my plan."

"Why?"

His eyes glinted evilly. "Didn't you read the entire prophecy, girl?"  
I shook my head. "All I know is that I must stop you."

"Well, it also said that I cannot carry out my plan until you are dead."

I heard Brady make a noise in his throat, then whimper in pain.

I stared into his eyes. "So you're going to kill me?"  
He grinned. "Well, yes. That's the general idea."

I drew the knife and pointed it at him. "Well, _un_lucky for you, I'm part Sasquatch. I'm also trained in swordplay. So… I think we all know who's gonna win this."

He laughed. "Do not be so sure, _Sasquatch_."

"Mikayla," Brady said weakly. "Don't. He has magic."

"Silence!" Malfurnio yelled, flicking his hand at Brady, who let out a scream of pain.

"Don't hurt him!" I shrieked.

He smiled at me. "If you wanted your boyfriend to be safe, you would have left him at home. Now look what you've done to him."

"Shut up!" I yelled. But I knew he was right. Brady's pain was all my fault. "Let him go!"  
He wasn't smiling now. "No."

"What is it gonna take?" I asked, pointing the knife at his throat.

He shook his head. "You have nothing I want, except you life, but I can take that easily. You are not in a position to bargain, my dear. The boy dies with you."

"I don't think so." But my voice was shaking.

"I think so. Prepare to die, Mikayla Makoola." He raised his hands over his head.

_He has magic._

I opened my mouth to scream when I heard someone else scream and then a huge crash.

Malfurnio scowled evilly and lowered his hands. "REALLY?! I can never get ANYTHING done around here!" And with that he stomped off, furious.

I turned and went back to Brady.

"We have to run for it," I said. "Before he gets back. Now tell me how to get these wires off."

"Mikayla, no." He winced. "If you stay here another second, you'll never make it. Leave me here."

"No way," I said. "I'm still your bodyguard, and you're still my king. Do not argue with me."

He sighed heavily and told me how to get them off.

I followed him instructions and he fell to the ground.

"Brady!" I helped him up.

"Come on!" He told me, taking my hand. "He'll be back any minute."

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**Review please! I cant think of anything else to say…. Bye! (Yes, I know the author's note sounds too perky compared with the chapter…)**


	13. Torture

**And now… we come to the end of the story (JK! I was just messing with you guys :D) Hope you all enjoy it!**

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Together we ran back through the dark tunnel. Well, we hurried as fast as Brady could go, since he couldn't exactly run.

As we went, I tried in vain to shut out the screaming echoing in my ears. I felt like a coward, saving my own life and leaving everyone else here to die. They were people too, just like me. How was I any better than them? That _I _should go free and they stay here to be tortured until they finally died.

_Don't think like that_, the voice in my head scolded me. _You're saving _**_Brady. _**_Not yourself. You're saving your_**_ king_**_. _

Well, that was true. I _had _to save Brady. This wasn't his fight, it was mine, I couldn't let him die because of it.

I could feel his hand warm in mine. He was panting and wincing as he ran beside me. My heart throbbed. _Nothing_ was going to hurt him. Never again. I would protect him is it was the last thing I ever did.

But the screams still haunted me. As a particularly loud one came blasting through, I whimpered, afraid for whoever it was.

Brady heard me and squeezed my hand hard. "Don't worry," he whispered. "We'll come back for them. Promise."

I took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay."

He smiled at me faintly. "I know. I feel the same way."

A tear trickled down my cheek. "Brady," I whispered, my voice all choked up. "What is he doing to them to make them scream like that?"

Brady's face looked strange in the dark. "I don't know. I don't want to think about it."

I didn't think I wanted to either. It was too horrible to even think about.

Going through the tunnel was much faster with Brady than it had been alone. It wasn't very long before we could see light at the end of the tunnel. Daylight. Malfurnio hadn't noticed we were gone yet, maybe we could actually get away. We were almost there…

"THEY'VE ESCAPED!" Malfurnio bellowed from inside his lab.

We both froze, too scared to move.

Brady's face turned white. "He knows," he breathed. "Mikayla, please go."

I shook my head emphatically. "No! There is no way I would ever leave you alone to die. It's all my fault you're here, all my fault you got hurt, I can't let anything else hurt you because of me!"

He took both of my hands in his and looked right into my eyes again. "Kayla, I would gladly die for you. I'd do _anything _to keep you safe. It's not your fault."

My eyes filled with tears. "But why? Why would you do that for me?"

He tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear and smiled. "Because I love you." Then he leaned in and kissed me gently.

I kissed him back, trying not to melt. He loved me.

A million images raced through my mind. I saw Brady smiling at me, flirting with me, doing stupid things to impress me. Every time he'd ever tried to do anything for me. They all ran through my head in the space of a millisecond, and yet I saw each one so clearly.

He pulled away and quickly pressed his lips to my forehead. "Now go."

I grabbed his hand. "Not without _my _king," I said. "I will _never _lose you again."

He smiled, then nodded, not even trying to argue. Instead he started to limp beside me.

But we didn't get very far.

"Mikayla!" Malfurnio bellowed from the mouth of the cave, glaring at me.

Brady automatically stepped in front of me, his leg dragging behind him. "You," he said, pointing at Malfurnio. "You stay away from _my _girl."

"Or what?" Malfurnio asked, laughter in his voice. "What can _you _possibly do to hurt me? You're nothing but a scrawny, pathetic little boy."

I could feel Brady bristling at the insults, but he didn't move, just kept glaring at Malfurnio. "Don't underestimate me. I'm capable of much more then you'd think."

Malfurnio really laughed then, a deep, guttural laugh that shook his body. "Step aside, boy, and let me deal with the girl."

"No!" Brady yelled, throwing out his arms, shielding me with his body. "You want her, you have to get through me."

Malfurnio smiled evilly. "Ha! You will be easy to eliminate."

Brady quavered at that, but he didn't move. He had a determined look on his face I'd never seen before.

Malfurnio tilted his head, considering him. "You're different," he said coldly. "You're not like the rest. They'd have pushed the girl forward and told me to kill her first, save their own skins. But not you… Why is that?"  
"Because I'm a king," Brady said, his voice strong. "And kings don't run away. They stay and fight. And they protect the ones they love."

"Do they?" Malfurnio asked. "Do they, _King_ Brady? Well then, this is what I think and your love, and this is what I think of you." And then he spit on the ground.

That put Brady over the edge. His expression stormy, he turned around and took my knife from me, then charged Malfurnio, holding it high above his head.

"Brady, don't!" I yelled, but either he didn't hear me or he was ignoring me.

Malfurnio looked unconcerned by the boy's attack. He looked up, and with the expression of someone swatting a fly, he flicked his hand and sent Brady flying backward so he smashed hard into a tree and fell to the ground, limp.

"Brady!" I screamed, running over to him.

He lifted his head and looked at me. "Kayla," he breathed. "You're safe." He smiled.

I grabbed his hands and helped him to his feet. Then I saw his face and shrieked. He had a huge bloody gash on his forehead!

"Are you okay?" I asked him, panicked, reached up to touch the wound. My fingers came away red and sticky.

He staggered back. "I am if you are."

"Brady, go, please," I begged him. "I can't bear to see you go through this."

"Oh, I'm not done with him just yet!" Malfurnio cried, grinning. "I see now just how much you love this boy, Mikayla Makoola. And now I can use this to my advantage."

I grabbed Brady's arm and pulled him close to me. "Please don't kill him."

"Kill him? No no no no! Killing him won't do. Death is so… quick and… painless." He grinned at us evilly. "No, I have something _special _for young Mr. Parker."

"Special?" Brady whimpered. Normally, I'd scold him for being a baby, but I couldn't now. I felt like whimpering too. "I don't like special. Special always hurt, _really_ badly."

Malfurnio grinned. "Oh, it's going to hurt, Brady. You can count on that."

I tightened my grip on his arm. "It's okay," I whispered. But I didn't believe it.

"Now," Malfurnio said to me. "This is your last chance. Turn yourself in, let me kill you, and I'll spare the boy his pain."

"No!" Brady cried. "Don't do it, Kayla!" He let go of me.

I looked from him to Malfurnio. It was Brady, or the world.

I looked into Brady's eyes, searching for my answer. His eyes told me to choose the world.

"Too late, time's up," Malfurnio said. He clapped his hands, and Brady screamed, an ear piercing scream that stabbed me right in the heart. He doubled over, panting, then screamed again.

"Brady!" I screamed.

He fell to the ground moaning and screaming. "MAKE IT STOP!" He screamed.

"You win!" I yelled. "Kill me, torture me, whatever! Just leave him alone."

Malfurnio ignored me, and Brady continued to screaming and twist around, hi face a mask of pain.

Tears poured down my face. "Stop it! Stop it, I'll do anything!"

Malfurnio turned to me and smiled. "Alright then, I'll stop." He clapped again.

Brady stopped writhing and lay there, panting.

I ran over to him and rolled him over. "Brady!"  
"Not so fast," Malfurnio said, and he clapped his hands again.

Suddenly, my whole body seized up. Every nerve in my body screamed in pain. I screamed too, as loud as I could. I fell over, like Brady had and continued screaming.

There were no words to describe the pain I was feeling. It was excruciating. Imagine the worst pain you've ever felt, and multiply that by a million. Then you might be close. Maybe.

"Stop!" I heard Brady yell, tears in his voice. "Don't hurt her."

Then the pain stopped, and I lay there panting, all the breath pulled out of my lungs.

"Kayla!" I felt hands pulling me up, and Brady pulled me into his arms, holding me close. "It's okay," he whispered, his voice soft. "Just cry, I know how you feel."

"Oh, I'm not done with you," Malfurnio said, his dark eyes glinting malevolently. "That was only the beginning."

* * *

**Ooooo, cliffie! Sorry guys, I couldn't resist! Again. Anyways, review!**


	14. The Duel

**Okay, I have nothing to say except I hope you guys like this.**

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Brady stepped in front of me again. "Why do you want us dead?"

Malfurnio scowled. "Weren't you listening to me earlier, idiot boy? My plan cannot be carried out until my enemy is dead."

"Then why won't you let Brady go?" I asked. "He has nothing to do with this!"

"Because he is the one you love, and I need him to break you."  
"Why do you have to break me first? Why not just kill me?" I asked. I didn't want to die, especially not now that Brady and I were finally together, but more than anything, I wanted Brady to be safe. No matter what.

He laughed. "Because where's the fun in that? And you deserve it."

"How? What did I ever do to you?" I wanted to know.

"Shut up! As if you didn't know! Your kind tortured and teased me to no end, called me an idiot and laughed at me-"

"But that wasn't me!" I said. "I would never do that!"

He shook his head. "I do not care. You will pay. You all will pay."

Brady pointed the knife at Malfurnio. "No, you're going to pay. If you want to kill me, Malfurnio, then let's duel. Just you and me, one on one. No magic."

"Brady," I hissed in his ear, but he didn't move or even acknowledge me.

Malfurnio laughed. "Give up my magic? Do you take me for a fool, Mr. Parker?"

"So you're too afraid to fight me without your magic? I thought I was pathetic? And yet you can't even beat me without help from your all-powerful magic?" Brady asked, staring Malfurnio right in the eyes. His tone was mocking. He was goading him on.

Malfurnio took a step back. "Ridiculous! Absolutely not!"

"So you accept the challenge?"

He scowled. "Perhaps you are not such an idiot. I suppose I have no choice."  
Brady gave out a dry laugh. "Not really."

Malfurnio placed his hand on his chest, drew out a huge black ball of swirling black mist, and sent it over to a nearby tree, where it hovered placidly. Then a machete hurled out of it and into Malfurnio's hand.

"Stabitha!" I cried. "That's mine!"  
He shook his head. "Not anymore. It's mine now."

I glared at him fiercely. "I don't like you."

"The feeling is mutual, annoying little girl."

Brady beckoned me over right then, so I couldn't retort. I walked over to him. "What?"

He leaned into me and whispered, "while I distract him, you go over to that magical sphere. See if you can do anything with it."

I looked over at it. "Like what?"

He shrugged. "I have no idea. But just try, okay? It's our only hope, at this point."

"Unless you win this," I said hopefully.

He gave me a look. "Yeah, that's never going to happen."

He straightened and stepped up to face Malfurnio.

They bowed to each other, then began to fight.

As much as I wanted to support my boyfriend (he is my boyfriend, right?), I had a job to do. Malfurnio's back was already turned, so I hurried over to the sphere at once and examined it.

Looking at it more closely, I couldn't see anything different from what I could've seen from far away. Sure, it was unusual, but how could it help us?

I looked over my shoulder to make sure they were still facing away from me, then I reached out a tentative finger and touched it.

Instantly, everything went black and I was whirling through a dark void until I felt my feet hit the ground hard.

~XXX~

I was standing in what looked like a small colonial town, surrounded by cobbled streets and small wooden houses.

_What the heck? _Where was I? Where were Brady and Malfurnio?

Then a door across from me creaked open and a boy of about nineteen strolled out, his eyes glued on an incredibly thick book. He was dressed all funny too, in a dark woolen jacket and trousers. He looked awfully familiar…..

Then I realized it was Malfurnio! He had the same dark hair and eyes. This must be one of his memories. This must be before he was evil.

I was about to go talk to him when I saw two young boys, about eight, throw small rocks at him.

"Freak!" They screamed gleefully, pointing at him. Then they turned and ran away.

Then I saw a group of men walk by Malfurnio, smoking and talking, and one of them tripped him. He stumbled forward and fell flat on his face, and they all laughed.

My mouth fell open in horror. What were they doing to him? That was horrible! I wanted to run over and help him.

But then the image of Brady writhing on the ground, screaming in pain, and all the sympathy vanished.

The memory was starting to fade around me, then it rematerialized, but a different one. Instead of seeing a colonial town by the sea, I was in Malfurnio's lab, except it was much less crowded.

Malfurnio burst in, looking younger, and much happier. He strolled over to one of his gadgets and beamed at it proudly.

"They were wrong," he said to himself. "I _am_ smart, I _can_ do things. I'm already doing them. They'll see, I'll show them all!"

The scene started to fade again, and I was back in the town, but this time it was all dark.

I looked around, searching for Malfurnio, but I couldn't see him.

_Well if he isn't here, how can I be?_ I thought.

Then I heard a noise and turned around.

It was Malfurnio, creeping up to a window of one of the house. He peered through it, then he pushed open the door and creeped inside.

I tried to follow him, but for some reason, my legs would not move. So I waited.

And waited. And waited. And waited.

Finally, he came out again, holding a small crystal ball in his hand. He held it up above his head, looking at it admiringly. Then he dropped it.

_Smooth_, I thought. He was just like the kings.

It rolled over to me and landed at my feet. I picked it up, looked at it, and gasped, almost dropping it.

There was a family inside it, two adults and four children. I recognized the oldest child as one of Malfurnio's terrorizers.

Malfurnio walked over to me and plucked it out of my hands, looking right through me. Then he just disappeared into thin air.

The scene started to fade around me again, but this time I was plunged into a dark swirling void, spinning around and around until my feet hit the ground.

~XXX~

I back in the forest, inches away from the dark ball of magic.

I could hear knives clashing and I whirled around to see Brady and Malfurnio in heated combat.

There was a deep, bloody gash on Brady's shoulder, and he was breathily heavily, but he was winning! He was winning!

But then Malfurnio slashed, and Brady fell back, a long cut on his arm. His face was ashen and bloody.

"Brady!" I yelled.

"I'm okay," he panted.

I ran over to him, gently pried the knife out of his hand, and turned to face Malfurnio. I don't know how, but being in Malfurnio's memories had given me some strange kind of knowledge, knowledge I could use to take him down for good. I was going to use it.

"Now it's you and me," I told Malfurnio.

"You will be easier than the boy," he wheezed. Brady had obviously done some damage. The man had a huge slash in his stomach that was obviously weakening him.

I laughed. "In your dreams." Then I lunged.

We only fought for a few minutes. He was _really_ weak. I don't know if Brady had tired him out, or if he was just that way naturally, but it _seriously_ worked to my advantage.

It was pretty easy to take him down. I put my foot on his chest and pulled out my belt. "Brady! Come tie him up and watch him. Don't let him get away."

He came over and took the belt from me. "Where are you going?"

"Don't worry about it. I'll be back in a few." I thrust the knife at him and picked up Stabitha.

He looked into my eyes. "Be careful, okay?" His expression was serious.

I nodded. "Of course. I'll be back."

I headed into the tunnel and started running. I had to get to the lab.

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**I know, I know, this is my worst chapter yet (writing-wise). But I just didn't know what to do. Anyways, tomorrow's will hopefully be better! Review, please!**


	15. Defeated

**Okay guys, here is the last chapter (Epilogue not included)! Hope you like it!**

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As I ran towards the lab, the screaming didn't really effect me. All I could think about was defeating Malfurnio so Brady and I could go home.

I don't know why or how, but being inside Malfurnio's memories seemed to have magically given me some of his knowledge, so as soon as I reached the lab, I knew _exactly _what to do.

I quickly wove my way through the piles of junk to get to a huge computer on the far side of the room. It was a _huge _computer, the biggest I'd ever seen, at least twice the size of the kings' flatscreen back home. I pressed a button on the side and the screen came to life.

I typed in the passcode and the globe with all of the detonators marked with blinking red lights popped up. I climbed up onto the stepstool and touched a small green box on the top righthand corner labeled **Disable**.

Immediately, all the lights stopped blinking and huge green letters flashed across the screen: **Detonators Disabled. Mission Aborted. **

"YES!" I cheered. Now at least the detonators wouldn't go off, even if I died.

Brady probably needed my help by now. True, Malfurnio was so pathetic even my boyfriend could handle him, but it still made me nervous that he had no backup.

I scanned the room to make sure there was nothing else there that I needed, grabbed another machete (in case Malfurnio had taken Brady's knife) then started running back down the tunnel.

On the way back, I noticed something I'd missed on all the other trip through. There was another tunnel branching off, probably leading to wherever Malfurnio's prisoners were being held.

I looked towards the tunnel entrance, even though I couldn't see it from this far away. Would Brady be okay for a few more minutes? Or would he be dead when I got back?

I decided he could survive that long, and I started down the new tunnel, now intent on freeing the prisoners. Then I remembered something I'd seen in the lab. It'd been a box full of fist-sized gray spheres, probably made of glass, labeled **Time-Travelers**. Another one of Malfurnio's inventions, I was sure! They could probably take the prisoners back to their own time!

I ran back to the lab, grabbed one of those boxes (there were five, actually) and hurried back to the new tunnel.

I followed the sound of the screaming as it got louder, and it led me to a truly horrible place. The narrow tunnel opened out into a maze of passageways, bordered with tiny barred cells. They were each too small for even one person, and yet there were a least three people crammed into each. I could recognize some of them from Malfurnio's memories, there was adults and teenagers and even little children. They were all extremely skinny, their skin clinging to their bones. They all wore filthy, old, tattered colonial dress, and they smelled like they hadn't washed in months.

I gagged at the smell. Who could survive in this awful place?

They were all wailing so loudly I could hardly think.

"What's wrong?" I yelled to a young woman in a cell close to me.

"The pain!" she moaned. "When we got here, he shoved us in here, and ever since we've all had this pain in our chests, so bad we can barely-" She gasped in pain.

My eyes widened in horror. "But… that's so horrible! That's… how can he even be human? What a monster!"

"I doubt he is human," the woman choked. "What'd he do to you, girl?"

"He took my love," I said. "Tortured him." Then I looked around at all of them. "But I already got to him. We're killing him for you. I'm here to set you all free."

I hit the cell's lock with my machete and let her and her cellmates out.

"Miss, you're a saint," the woman panted, looking at me with worshipping eyes. "We will forever be in your d-"

"It's okay, it was my pleasure. Now take these," I shoved some Time-Travelers at them. "And go home. I think you just smash them."

They said thank you to me again and then used the devices to vanish.

I quickly opened another cell, and gave one of the young men one of my machetes and made him help me with the rest.

Finally they'd all been freed and sent home.

I started running back through the tunnel, praying that Brady was still okay. The wind pounded in my ears as I ran, and it wasn't long before I got back.

It was just as I'd suspected. Malfurnio had broken free of my belt and taken the knife from Brady. But thankfully, my boyfriend was still holding his own. He'd grabbed a huge stick and was using it as a weapon, his lips pursed and his expression completely focused.

I wanted to cheer. Go Brady! My boyfriend was officially awesome.

He saw me over Malfurnio's shoulder and his face broke into a huge smile. "Mikayla!" I'd never heard him sound more happy to see me.

He was officially sweet, too.

But I pushed that from my mind. I had a job to do.

Malfurnio had turned around when Brady called my name. "The girl is back!" He snarled. "Time to finish both of you annoying parasites off for good!"

"I don't think so!" I said, tossing one of my machetes to Brady.

He caught it, grinning.

I waked over to Malfurnio's bouncing magic ball and turned to face my adversary. "I disabled your detonators. I know that makes you become less powerful."

He gaped at me, shocked. "But… but… how? How could you possibly-"

"Because my girlfriend is worked smart, that's why," Brady said, a bit smug.

I ignored him. "Because I touched your ball and saw into your memories."

His face paled. "You…. you… you did?"  
I nodded. "And I set your prisoners free. Face it, Malfurnio, I've practically beaten you already. Surrender, and I might not be so harsh with your punishment for almost destroying the world."

His face contorted. "Never! I will never give in to you, pathetic little girl!"  
"Hey, that "pathetic little girl" just beat you, chump!" Brady said.

Malfurnio glared at me fiercely, so much hate in his face I almost stepped back. "I will have my revenge, on you _and _the world, Mikayla Makoola." He reached out his hand and his ball of magic flew towards him, right into his chest. He pointed his finger at me. "Kill!" He whispered in a harsh, low voice.

"No!" Brady yelled, jumping front of me.

"BRADY!" I screamed.

The shot of black light was headed straight for him, but he was holding his machete in front of his face and in bounced off the blade, hitting a nearby tree instead.

"Gah!" Malfurnio cried, frustrated. "I cannot kill you with this boy around!"

I pulled out my own machete and stepped in front of my boyfriend. "Okay, Malfurnio. Now it's time for you to die."

He glared at me. "I don't think so."

"I think so," I said, stepping into a fighting stance.

He lunged at me, and we fought for almost a minute.

"Oh, you're good," Malfurnio panted. "But I'll get you in the end, my dear."

I laughed. "You wish." And then I stabbed in right in the chest.

He fell to his knees, his eyes huge. Then he fell over, his eyes still wide open, dead.

I gasped and stepped back, staring at his corpse. I stayed like that for a few minutes, just staring at it, barely able to breathe.

"Mikayla, are you okay?"

My head snapped up at the sound of Brady's voice. He was watching me, his hazel eyes full of concern.

"Okay?" I was shaking so violently I could hardly get the words out. "No, I am not okay! I just killed someone. I just stopped the end of the world. How am I _ever _suppose to be okay? How will my life ever go back to normal?"

"Hey." He walked over to me, put his fingers under my chin and gently forced my head up, so I was looking straight into his eyes. "Kayla, listen to me. We'll get through this, _together_." He took my hands. "I'm here for you, I always will be."

My eyes filled with tears. "Brady…"

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. "I know, I know. Don't worry, I'm here. I'm right here."

"I love you, Brady," I whispered.

His arms tightened around me. "I love you too."

I pulled away slightly and looked up at him, remembering that village woman's angry words. "But I don't deserve you."

He looked down at me, surprised. "What?"

"You were so sweet and caring all the time, and I never even noticed. I just pushed you away. I was such an idiot. I'm not good enough for you."

He leaned in and kissed me, a long, hard kiss.

I melted into his arms.

"Shut up," he whispered when he drew away. "You are perfect for me, and I love you with all my heart."

I leaned my head on his chest and he held me close. I never wanted this moment to end.

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**Awwwww, Brakayla! Yay! I hope you liked that chapter! I'm not going to post tomorrow, cause I want the epilogue to be good and long, but it'll be up on Thursday. Unless I get less than three reviews…. Then it'll have to wait till the weekend! But anyways, review!**


	16. The End

**Hey! Okay, here's the epilogue, hope you like it! I know, it'll be SO boring compared to the rest of the story, but that's kind of the whole point… **

* * *

The moment finally ended, and hand in hand, we started walking back towards the clearing.

We walked back in comfortable silence, Brady's hand warm in mine. The rain had stopped, and the air felt fresh and clean. Sunlight seeped through the trees, bathing everything in a pale green light. In the distance, I could hear faint birdsong. I looked around me and smiled. "Isn't it beautiful here, Brady?"

He looked over at me and smiled. "Yeah. But not as beautiful as you."

A week ago I would have shoved him or rolled my eyes. But now I leaned my head on his shoulder and said, "you're so sweet."

"Only for you, my love," he said gently kissing the top of my head.

My eyes welled up a bit at that. I could almost hear Candis's voice in my head saying, _Awwwwww! _And for once, I agreed with her.

Neither of us spoke again until we were almost there.

"Brady?" I said finally, breaking the almost-silence. "You _are _coming back to Kinkow with me, right?"

"What? Yeah, of course," he said, looking at me like I was crazy. "Unless you want to stay in _this _wacky place."

I shook my head. "No way! I mean, it _is_ beautiful here, but I really miss home."

He smiled faintly. "Me too."

When we finally got back to the clearing, we gathered up all of our stuff and I followed Brady back to where my balloon had landed, since his was crashed.

He found it pretty easily, then we started loading all of our stuff. I thought at first that it wouldn't fit both of us and all our stuff (which included Brady's guitar), but it did.

Brady gestured to the balloon. "You first, m'lady," he said, grinning at me.

I suppressed a smile. "Thank you, kind sir." I climbed in.

He got in after me and started it up.

We started to rise, Peru growing smaller and smaller below us. As we got higher and higher, it got smaller and smaller, until finally it had almost disappeared.

~XXX~

The two day trip home on the balloon with Brady were _way _more fun than the trip here had been, and way less lonely too. Brady took out his guitar a couple times a day and we sung together. I even sung a couple songs by myself, with him as accompaniment. We actually managed to write two songs together, a duet and a song for me, and they were actually pretty good. When we weren't doing that, we talked. We spent a lot of time talking those two days. He told me all about growing up in the big city of Chicago, making me laugh many, _many _times. And I told him all about growing up in Kinkow, which wasn't nearly as humorous, but I still made him laugh pretty hard a few times.

"Wow," I said, finally able to breathe after I almost died laughing from one of his stories of his and Boomer's middle school antics. "I cannot believe you guys didn't get caught and sent to _jail _for that one."

He grinned. "To tell you the truth, neither can I."

"Your life sounds amazing," I said. "I wish mine had been that exciting."

"Hey, you grew up on a magical _island_. Do not tell me your life was boring."

I laughed. "Point taken."

We didn't really act like a couple during that trip. I guess that was kind of weird, since we'd just started… well…. you know. But we didn't like have big make-out sessions or act all gushy or anything. Sometimes I could feel him watching me, though. Whenever I caught him, he'd just give me that melting smile I loved. And then at night, was I was falling asleep, I'd lean my head on his shoulder and he'd wrap his arm around me…

So, it goes without saying that the trip was _awesome_. But I was still pretty happy when we could see Kinkow in the distance.

"Look, Brady!" I cried, pointing at it. "We're almost home!"

He stood up and looked in the direction I was pointing. "Yeah," he said, grinning. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "We are."

I snuggled into his shoulder. "I can't wait."

I didn't have to wait much longer. About an hour later we landed in the completely deserted plaza and clambered out onto firm ground, looking around for signs of life.

I was about to call for my dad when the front doors swung open and Boomer walked out, a tall, red-haired boy at his side.

Boomer froze when he saw us. His eyes darted from Brady, to me, then back again. "BRADY!" He yelled, throwing himself at his brother.

Brady stumbled back a little, then returned the hug.

"So _that's _Brady," the redhead said, grinning. "He's back! Awesome!"

Boomer finally released his brother and ran over to the redhead. "Boz, this is Brady, our other brother! And Brady, this is Boz! It turns out we have another brother!"  
"What?" Brady looked at his new brother and grinned. "Awesome!"

The now _triplet _kings group hugged, then Boomer started shouting. "Everybody! My brother's back! I have a new brother! This is cause for celebration! Party at the castle!"  
Boomer and Boz ran back into the castle, and Brady turned to me. "M'lady?" He said, holding out his arm and smiling.

I smiled back. "I'll be there in a minute. There's something I have to do first. Can I borrow your cell phone?"  
He pulled it out of his pocket and tossed it to me. "Don't take too long. I don't want to miss you too much."

"Don't worry, I won't!" I told him, smiling (and maybe blushing a little).

As soon as he was gone I dialed Delilah's number and held the phone to my ear.

Two rings later, I heard her voice saying, "hello?"

"Delilah? It's Mikayla," I said.

"Mikayla? Oh my gosh, I have been worried sick about you, girl! How are you? Are you okay? What's going on?" she asked hurriedly, her voice anxious.

"I'm fine. Better than that, actually," I told her, smiling. "And guess what? I found Brady! He wasn't dead after all!"  
"OMG, that is so awesome! I'm SO happy for you! So, are you two an item now?"  
"Yeah!" I said.

"Awwwwww! I wanna meet him!"  
"Okay, we'll come visit you soon," I said, grinning now.

"Listen," I continued. "I talked to Brady, and we want to pay you and your aunt back for helping me."

"What? Forget about it. We don't need payment." She sounded insulted.

"But we want to," I argued. "It's okay."

"No." She sounded determined.

I sighed. "Okay. Thank you."

"You're welcome. But girl, you _have _to come visit me sometime and bring that adorable boyfriend of yours."

I grinned. "Deal."

"Okay. Good luck with life, Mikayla. Stay in touch, kay?"

"Yeah, of course. You too." I turned off the phone and went into join the party.

~XXX~

The dining room was full of subjects, laughing and eating and talking, looking happy that everything was finally back to normal. I was pretty happy about that too.

Brady was sitting with his brothers, and there was an empty seat next to him. I slipped into it, and he smiled and wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

"So… you two are a couple now?" Once again, my best friend had displayed her incredibly annoying power stick her nose into other people's business and gossip.

I blushed. "Yeah, I guess."

Brady looked around and grinned at Candis. "Yup, she's _my_ girl now."

"Awwwww!" Candis exclaimed. "Brakayla lives!"

Brady nodded. "That's right. So," he said, raising his voice and looking around meaningfully at all of the single guys. "You guys keep your hands _off_."

I blushed again, but then I smiled.

I sat next to Brady the whole night, eating and chatting and laughing like everyone else. I could see all of the single guys glaring at Brady the entire time, and I could feel their resentment towards him, but I knew he didn't care. He kept glancing over at me and beaming, like he couldn't believe I was finally his.

But I was. And I knew already that I always would be.

~XXX~

"Mikayla! I need you!"

I rolled my eyes at Boomer's girly scream. I'd only been home two weeks, and I was ready for a break from my baby-sittees, Boomer and Boz. Brady too, but no so much. He was way more mature than his brothers now.

I ran into the kings' room, which had three beds in it now. "What is it, my king?"

"What is this thing on my bed?" Boomer demanded, pointing to a thick white block on his bed.

I walked over to it, picked it up, and pressed it to my nose, sniffing it. "This is soap," I told him.

"Well get it away from me!"

I rolled my eyes again. "Where are your brothers?"  
"How should I know? _You're_ the babysitter."

"Yes, I know," I muttered under my breath.

I stomped down the stairs and found Boz in the Throne Room, eating a cookie.

"Where's Brady?" I asked.

"How should I know? You're the babysitter."

"Ugh!" I cried. "I'm going for a walk."

Boz didn't answer.

I walked through the jungle until I got to the ledge overlooking that beach, the place I'd gone to after Brady had disappeared. I looked out over the beach, a small smile on my face. I loved surfing on that beach with the kings. They might be idiots, but they were good surfers.

Thinking about that made me think of Brady… I started humming the song we'd written for me to sing.

_ You lift my feet off the ground_

_And spin me around_

_You make me crazier, crazier_

_Feels like I'm falling and I am lost in your eyes_

_You make me crazier, crazier, crazier _

Suddenly I felt arms encircling me from behind. I started, and we almost fell off the cliff.

"Brady!" I shrieked.

"Sorry!" He exclaimed, pulling me away from the edge. "Don't stand so close to the edge next time."

"I won't." I leaned against him. "I asked your brothers where you were. They didn't know."

He kissed the top of my head. "I was looking for you."

"Well, you found me," I said.

"Yeah I did." He turned me around and looked into my eyes. "How's my favorite girl?"

I blushed. "Good. I missed you, though."  
"I missed you too." He pulled me close again. Then his voice got softer. "I love you, Kayla."

I laid my head against his chest. "I love you too."

Then he kissed me, and I forgot everything else except for him.

* * *

**There you go! Another story is over :'( It's always so sad for me! But I have another story idea. It's an AU story, titled _You Belong With Me_ and it's Brakayla. What do you guys think? It should be up tomorrow or this weekend. Check it out!**

**MitchelMussoForever, over and out! **


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